UN Watchdog Chief Urges Iran to Forgo Tolls in Strait of Hormuz

International Maritime Organization Chief Calls for Rejection of Proposed Tolls on Strait of Hormuz

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), stated that Iran’s proposal to charge ships tolls for transiting the Strait of Hormuz would be illegal and should be rejected by the international community. The move comes as uncertainty lingers over Iran’s fragile truce with the United States.

Iranian authorities have demanded the right to impose tolls on vessels transiting the strait, including after the end of the war. US President Donald Trump has also floated the possibility of a “joint venture” for collecting payments operated by Washington and Tehran.

Dominguez emphasized that countries do not have the right to introduce tolls or charges on these straits, citing international law as the basis for his stance. He warned that introducing such measures would set a precedent detrimental to global shipping.

The IMO chief’s comments were made during marathon ceasefire talks between US and Iranian officials in Pakistan, which concluded without an agreement on Sunday. The talks centered on Iran’s nuclear program and other issues, including the Strait of Hormuz.

Shipping in the Strait of Hormuz remains severely restricted, with only 22 ships with their automatic identification system turned on exiting the strait between the start of the truce and Friday, according to S&P Global. The US military had announced that it had sailed two warships through the strait in an effort to clear the waterway of Iranian mines.

Dominguez stressed that the fundamental solution to resolving the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz is ending the war. He noted that there were no issues with ships transiting the strait before the conflict began and expressed hope that once the conflict ends, transit operations can resume.

The IMO chief also expressed concern for the wellbeing of approximately 20,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf due to the effective blockade of the strait.

Source: Al Jazeera