Iran plans to introduce a new service fee for commercial vessels transiting the strategically vital Hormuz Strait, with "friendly" countries, including China, expected to receive preferential treatment, Iran's ambassador to China said on Saturday.
Speaking at the World Peace Forum in Beijing, Iranian Ambassador Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said Tehran is working with Oman to establish a new framework for managing the key maritime corridor. Under the proposal, commercial ships using the strait would be required to pay a service charge, although he stressed that the fee should not be considered a toll.
"The Hormuz Strait is partly within our territorial waters, so we will naturally collect service fees," Fazli said. "This is not a toll, but part of a new management system."
According to the ambassador, the proposed framework is aimed at ensuring safe navigation through the strait, improving vessel monitoring, and addressing the environmental impact caused by the heavy volume of maritime traffic.
Fazli also indicated that countries maintaining close ties with Iran would receive special consideration under the new system.
"We will certainly take into account those countries that remained our friends and, particularly, stood by us during difficult times," he said.
The United States has rejected Iran's proposal for the new fee structure. However, under a preliminary understanding reached between Tehran and Washington to ease tensions, commercial vessels were allowed to pass through the Hormuz Strait free of charge for 60 days. What will happen after that period remains unclear.
Iran and the United States are continuing negotiations aimed at reaching a more permanent resolution to their dispute.
The Hormuz Strait is one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints, carrying roughly one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. During the recent Middle East conflict, Iran's near-complete closure of the waterway triggered a sharp surge in global energy prices before restrictions were lifted following the preliminary agreement with the United States.
-HIS
