Iran says friendly nations to receive special Hormuz shipping arrangements
Ambassador says new service fees will fund security and environmental protection while China and allied countries receive special consideration
TEHRAN, Iran (MNTV) — Iran’s ambassador to China said Tehran will introduce new service fees for commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, while China and other friendly countries will receive special considerations under the new system.
The announcement comes as Iran and Oman develop a new framework for managing the strategic waterway following the recent conflict, with negotiations over its long-term administration continuing.
Speaking at the World Peace Forum in Beijing, Ambassador Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said Iran and neighboring Oman are jointly developing a new framework for administering the Strait of Hormuz following the recent conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
Fazli said the proposed charges would not constitute transit tolls but would instead cover services related to securing maritime passage, monitoring vessel traffic and addressing the environmental impact created by the heavy volume of international shipping through the strait.
“As a country where the Strait of Hormuz forms part of its territorial waters, we will definitely charge service fees,” he said, adding that the new arrangements are intended to strengthen maritime security and improve oversight of commercial navigation.
According to Iran’s NourNews agency, the ambassador also said China and other friendly nations would receive special consideration regarding both the level and structure of the service charges applied to vessels using the waterway.
The remarks come as Iran and the United States continue discussions on a longer-term framework following last month’s temporary agreement that suspended hostilities and allowed commercial shipping to pass through the strait without charge for an initial 60-day period.
Washington has maintained that Iran should not impose transit fees under any permanent arrangement, while Tehran argues that, as a coastal state responsible for safeguarding the waterway, it has the right to recover the costs of providing security and related maritime services.
Fazli said the security environment in the Strait of Hormuz had fundamentally changed following the months-long conflict, making new management arrangements necessary.
Iran and Oman, which jointly overlook the narrow maritime passage linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, have established a bilateral committee to develop the future governance mechanism for the strategic route.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s busiest energy corridors, carrying around one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments during normal conditions, making any changes to its administration closely watched by international energy markets.
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