Iran running a ‘toll booth’ regime in Strait of Hormuz, getting paid in Yuan, experts say

Iran is running a “de facto ‘toll booth’ regime” in the Strait of Hormuz, controlling which ships come through and getting payment for their safe passage, a leading shipping intelligence firm says.

Lloyd’s List Intelligence publishes an analysis highlighting Iran’s practices through the strait.

It described vessels having to provide manifests, crew details and their destination to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

The information goes to the Guard’s “Hormozgan Provincial Command for sanctions screening, cargo alignment checks that currently prioritizes oil over all other commodities, and for what is described as ‘geopolitical vetting,’” Lloyd’s List says.

“While not all ships are paying a direct toll, at least two vessels have and the payment is settled in yuan,” Lloyd’s List says, referring to China’s national currency.

Such payments likely would run afoul of American and European sanctions on the Guard, a key power center within Iran that controls its ballistic missile arsenal and was key in suppressing nationwide protests in January.

Iran has not directly explained the process for ships to go through the strait, though a Foreign Ministry spokesperson has appeared to acknowledge Tehran is receiving payments for some ships in an interview.