Iran to unveil Strait of Hormuz traffic plans, will collect tolls
Iran has prepared a mechanism to manage traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and plans to collect fees in the waterway, head of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee Ebrahim Azizi said on Saturday.
“Iran… has prepared a professional mechanism to manage traffic in the Strait of Hormuz along a designated route,” Azizi said in a social media post, adding that the plan will be “unveiled soon.”
Azizi said “necessary fees” will be collected under the mechanism, and that only commercial vessels and “parties cooperating with Iran” will “benefit” from the measure.
“This route will remain closed to the operators of the so‑called “freedom project,” Azizi said, likely referring to U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Project Freedom,” which was aimed at restoring commercial shipping in Hormuz. Trump had abruptly paused the operation earlier in May.
Separately, Iranian state TV claimed Tehran was in talks with European countries over the transit of ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
The report said “Europeans” had begun negotiations with the Revolutionary Guards navy, but did not specify which countries.
Iran had effectively shut Hormuz since the onset of U.S.-Israeli hostilities in late-February, and has repeatedly hinted at controlling and charging for transit through the passage.
Reports earlier this year suggested that Iran may also collect tolls for passing through Hormuz in cryptocurrency, specifically Bitcoin.
U.S. president Trump has balked at any notion of Iran controlling Hormuz, and has repeatedly called for the reopening of the waterway.
Reports late-Friday showed Trump considering more military measures against Iran. He had warned earlier in the week that the Iran ceasefire was on “life support,” and soundly rejected Iran’s recent peace offer.
The U.S. president has repeatedly called for Iran to end its nuclear operations, and that the country could not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.
Hormuz’s closure sparked a sharp increase in global oil and gas prices, given that a fifth of the world’s supply passed through the channel. While some commercial vessels were seen making successful crossings over the past two months, traffic in Hormuz remained at a fraction of pre-war levels.
Iran has used a mix of missiles, drones, and fast boats to stage attacks in the waterway.
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