- Iranian envoy says ships transiting Hormuz will have to pay service fees.
- He adds that Tehran is working with Oman on new agreements on Hormuz.
- Hormuz fees to support ship security and supervision: Fazli.
Iran’s ambassador to China insisted on Saturday that new fees would be charged to ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz – an idea rejected by Washington – while ensuring that “friendly” nations would receive special treatment.
The initial agreement reached between Iran and the United States to end their war stipulated that commercial ships would transit the strait free of charge for 60 days, but it is not yet clear what will apply after that period.
Iranian Ambassador Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli told the World Peace Forum in Beijing that his country was working in “collaboration and cooperation” with Oman on “new agreements” for the vital waterway.
“As a country where Hormuz is part of its territorial waters, we will definitely charge service fees,” Azli said in translated comments, while insisting that such fees would not be a “toll.”
“These new agreements will concern ensuring the safety of passage through the Strait of Hormuz, monitoring the passage of ships… and also ensuring and addressing the environmental consequences of the huge number of ships,” he said.
“We will definitely consider special treatment for countries that were friendly to us and supported us especially during difficult times,” he added.
The strait normally carries a fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas, but Iran virtually closed it during the Middle East war, sending energy prices soaring.
Iran lifted its blockade of Hormuz after reaching an initial deal with the United States to end the Middle East war, and negotiations are underway on a permanent solution to the conflict.
