Iran and Oman are collaborating on new arrangements to charge service fees to ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian Ambassador to China Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli announced on Saturday at the World Peace Forum in Beijing.
The strategically vital waterway, which handles roughly 20 percent of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas, is undergoing a proposed regulatory overhaul after being nearly closed during a recent Middle East war.
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Fee Structure and Preferential Terms
An initial 60-day agreement signed between Washington and Tehran on June 17 paused potential transit fees during active negotiations, but Iran remains focused on securing international acknowledgement of its control over the maritime passage.
"As a country where the Hormuz is part of its territorial waters, we will definitely charge service fees," Fazli said.
The diplomat specified that the upcoming financial protocols are intended to manage shipping oversight, secure regional transit, and mitigate environmental damage caused by heavy maritime traffic.
"These new arrangements will be concerning guaranteeing the security of passage through the Straits of Hormuz, supervision of the passage of the vessels...
and also guaranteeing and dealing with the environmental consequences of the massive number of ships," Fazli said.
The Iranian government indicated that nations maintaining positive diplomatic ties with Tehran during past geopolitical friction will receive preferential terms under the new transit policy.
"We will definitely consider special treatment for the countries that were friendly to us and specially stood by us during the hard times," Fazli said.