Iran’s parliament working on bill to impose fees on ships in Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s parliament is working on a bill to formalize the fees it is reportedly charging on some ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, local media reports.

The Fars and Tasnim news agencies, both close to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, quote lawmaker Mohammadreza Rezaei Kouchi as saying that “parliament is pursuing a plan to formally codify Iran’s sovereignty, control and oversight over the Strait of Hormuz, while also creating a source of revenue through the collection of fees.”

“This is entirely natural, just as goods pay transit fees when passing through other corridors, the Strait of Hormuz is also a corridor,” he reportedly says. “We provide its security, and it is natural that ships and oil tankers should pay such fees.”

The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, is considered an international waterway open to all shipping. Imposing fees would end that and likely be strongly opposed by the Gulf Arab states, the United States and others.