Hormuz toll to cover services, no charge for passage — senior Iranian diplomat

TEHRAN, June 4. /TASS/. Tehran is planning to introduce a toll system for services it provides to vessels clearing the Strait of Hormuz, beyond just simple passage through the waterway, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said.

"The Islamic Republic is not seeking to charge a toll simply for passing through, a transit fee or a transit tariff as it were. On the contrary, our goal is to receive payments for services that we, together with Oman, provide in this area," the senior Iranian diplomat explained in an interview with Mehr news agency. He cited navigation, search and rescue missions, security and shipping safety as well as efforts to clear the aftermath in the event of environmental pollution among the services as falling under the toll, saying that "such measures do not run counter to international maritime law."

According to Gharibabadi, the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea itself reads that coastal countries may levy charges as payment for specific services.