Negotiations over Iran’s proposal to impose shipping tolls in the Strait of Hormuz have stalled, with Gulf states and Western powers firmly rejecting the idea, according to a New York Post report.
Iran has been seeking to formalize a system of transit fees on vessels passing through the strategic waterway as part of a broader effort to assert greater control over one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints, the New York Post reported.
The plan has run into coordinated resistance from Gulf Cooperation Council members, who have aligned with the United States in opposing any Iranian authority to tax international shipping through the strait, according to the same reporting.
The Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, carries roughly a fifth of global oil trade, making it one of the most strategically sensitive maritime corridors in the world.
Iran has periodically threatened to restrict or regulate passage through the strait in past confrontations with the West, but the current toll proposal marks a more formal attempt to monetize transit amid ongoing regional tensions.
According to reporting, Tehran has tied broader maritime de-escalation discussions to recognition of its role in managing or regulating traffic through the waterway, a position that Gulf states and the U.S. have rejected.
Diplomatic efforts to stabilize shipping routes have also been complicated by wider regional tensions, including security incidents involving commercial vessels in the Gulf in recent years and intermittent military posturing around the waterway.
U.S. and allied officials have continued to insist on freedom of navigation through the strait without unilateral restrictions or fees imposed by Iran, arguing that any such move would violate long-standing international maritime norms.
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