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Will Commercial Ships Have to Pay to Pass Through the Strait of Hormuz? Maybe.
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- President Trump announced the Strait of Hormuz would reopen and remain "permanently toll-free," but Iran plans to charge fees for unspecified services in the strait.
- Iran's foreign ministry clarified that while they are not imposing transit tolls, fees will be charged for services provided, though details on these services remain unclear.
- Charging fees for passage through the strait, a critical route for global energy supplies, could increase costs for commercial shipping and set a risky precedent for international waterways.
- Maritime law experts note that while fees for services can be legal, imposing tolls for passage in the Strait of Hormuz would violate international law, regardless of how the charges are labeled.
- The idea of charging ships emerged following U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and Iran's retaliatory strikes on commercial vessels, leading to the creation of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority to manage "safe passage permits."
