Middle East Situation | Iran Parliament Approves Toll Collection in the Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Parliament on Monday approved a bill that would impose a transit fee on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, with oil tankers potentially facing charges of up to $2 million.

Citing an unnamed member of parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Iranian media said the new plan, intended to regulate navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, also includes a ban on transit by vessels linked to the United States, Israel, or countries that had previously imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran, and that the transit fees must be paid in Iran’s currency, the rial.

Earlier, U.S. President Trump said that if the Strait of Hormuz—which he described as having significant strategic importance—cannot be reopened immediately and if a peace agreement cannot be reached soon, the United States would completely destroy Iran’s power plants, oil wells, and its oil export hub, Kharg Island. A White House statement said the U.S. does not support charging transit fees for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview broadcast by Qatar’s Al Jazeera that if Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz after a war ends, it will face serious consequences. He added that once U.S. military actions involving Iran end, the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened in any case—either restored to commercial traffic with Iran’s agreement or reopened through an international military alliance, including the United States.

Rubio said the objectives of the United States’ military actions against Iran are very clear and will be achieved within weeks rather than months. He also said Iran absolutely cannot obtain nuclear weapons.

Rubio also said in an interview on a program by the U.S. broadcaster that Iran is issuing threats to permanently take control of the Strait of Hormuz, set up a charging system, and the like, and that this absolutely must not happen.