Iran starts charging fees for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz

Iran has started charging transit fees on some commercial ships that route through the Strait of Hormuz, reaffirming Tehran’s control over the world’s most important maritime energy corridor. The move is understood as an attempt to financially exploit the strategic control that Tehran exercises over the strait.

According to sources heard by Bloombergpayments of up to US$2 million per trip are being requested sporadically, which ends up creating an informal toll on the route. Because these are sensitive negotiations, the people agreed to speak on condition of anonymity. Some ships have already paid, although it is not yet clear how the charge is made and there is no standard being followed.

Since the beginning of the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran, Tehran has restricted the passage of vessels considered linked to its adversaries or allies of these countries. The Strait of Hormuz is the transportation route through which up to a quarter of global oil passes and, in some cases, even larger volumes of other oil. commodities petrochemicals, essential not only for the economy, but also for the basic functioning of industries around the world.

India, which managed to get four ships carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to leave the Persian Gulf through the strait, said international laws guarantee freedom of navigation in the strait and that no country can charge fees for using the canal.

Last week, a member of the Iranian parliament said that a proposal to make it mandatory for other countries to pay Iran to use the Strait of Hormuz as a safe shipping route is advancing in parliament.

For Gulf Arab producers, even an informal toll is not acceptable, sources say, as it raises questions of sovereignty, sets precedents and increases the risk that a vital route for their energy exports will be used as a political weapon.