Iran Claims Right to Charge Transit Fees in Strait of Hormuz, Defying International Law

Iran's foreign ministry insisted on July 7 that it may impose fees on all vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz for "security and safe passage," comparing the charge to English Channel pilotage. The claim contradicts UNCLOS, which treats the strait as international waters under transit passage rights. Iran rejected alternatives: an Omani proposal modeled on Malacca and Singapore Straits (where fees cover navigational services only) and Western proposals to secure and de-mine the southern route. The dispute centers on who controls Hormuz's reopening under a US-Iran memorandum.