Middle East — 2026-07-05

Iranian Diplomat Says Country Will Definitely Collect Hormuz Transit Fees Defying US at World Peace Forum

BLUFFormal Hormuz fee collection remains unlikely within six months absent enforcement infrastructure, but European acquiescence is narrowing Washington's window to block eventual implementation.

Iranian Ambassador to China Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli told the World Peace Forum in Beijing on Saturday that Iran "will definitely charge service fees" for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, calling the waterway part of Iran's territorial waters, while insisting the charges would not constitute a "toll" and would not violate international maritime law 123. He said the new arrangements are being developed in "collaboration and cooperation" with Oman and would address passage security, vessel supervision, and environmental costs from ship traffic 12. Fazli said China and other "friendly" nations would receive "special considerations" on fee levels and type, without detailing specifics 23. The initial Iran-US deal ending their four-month war set a 60-day free-transit window with no policy specified afterward, and Washington, along with Gulf Arab states, maintains Iran cannot charge tolls or fees under any final agreement 123. Bloomberg separately reported that some European nations now accept some Hormuz fees are likely, provided they are not applied on a discriminatory basis 3.

Analysis
Fazli's public commitment to fee collection, paired with unspecified discounts for "friendly" states, signals Tehran intends to operationalize Hormuz leverage as a durable revenue and alignment tool rather than a temporary wartime measure. Formal fee collection remains unlikely within the next six months given the unresolved US veto in permanent-settlement talks and the absence of published tariff schedules or an operational collection mechanism with Oman. Analytic confidence is low, reflecting the gap between declaratory statements and any observable administrative infrastructure to enforce collection. European acceptance that some fee is inevitable narrows Washington's negotiating room but does not itself constitute implementation.

4 sources