Iran has recently created the “Persian Gulf Strait Authority,” an organization from the Islamic regime that aims to govern the international waterway.
Iran has recently created the “Persian Gulf Strait Authority,” an organization from the Islamic regime that aims to govern the international waterway.
On Wednesday, the authority shared a map on X that “defined the boundaries of the Strait of Hormuz management supervision area,” explaining that certain areas required specific permits in order to be transited.
The US has opposed the idea of tolls being established in the Strait, with US President Donald Trump saying on Thursday that “we don’t want tolls. It’s international. It’s an international waterway.”
“It can’t happen,” said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, adding that “it would be unacceptable. It would make a diplomatic deal unfeasible if they were to continue to pursue that.”
Iran looks for legal loophole to charge tolls in Strait of Hormuz
The discussions between Oman and Iran are centered on charging fees rather than tolls, a distinction that makes the project legal under international law.
The problem is that tolls for crossing international waterways are illegal under international law, whereas fees for services actually provided in specific ports can be charged without repercussions. The distinction in this case might be only formal, as ships don’t require docking when crossing the Strait under normal conditions.
The idea would still not be legal according to international law precedents, mainly because Iran would be forcing ships into the ports in order to cross, making free navigation of the waterway impossible.
The mines were discovered following a recent US intelligence assessment.
A previous CBS report from March said there were at least a dozen underwater mines in the Strait, according to US intelligence reports.
