Iran will “definitely” continue to charge countries and vessels a fee for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian official said, referring to a waterway that Iran has effectively closed to international maritime traffic.
“A series of measures are in place for passage through the Strait of Hormuz due to Iran,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in an interview with India Today on Tuesday evening (24).
“Other states that have nothing to do with this act of aggression can cross the Strait of Hormuz after the necessary coordination with the Iranian authorities, to ensure that the passage is made safely,” he added.
The comments came after Iran’s Foreign Ministry sent a letter to the UN Security Council and the International Maritime Organization stating that through the Strait of Hormuz they would coordinate with Iranian authorities, Reuters reported.
Traffic through the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil production normally passes, has been severely reduced since the conflict began three weeks ago. THE CNN previously reported that Tehran was considering allowing some vessels to pass through the strait as long as the cargo was traded in Chinese yuan.
According to information from Lloyd’s List Intelligence, at least two vessels transiting the strait were insured, with one of the fees being US$2 million. THE CNN was unable to independently verify the information.
“The United States itself has been using its currency as a weapon against the entire global economy for decades — imposing sanctions on countries and pressuring states across the Global South,” Baghaei told India Today.
Earlier, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, head of state-owned energy giant ADNOC in the United Arab Emirates, said the effective closure of the strait is “economic terrorism against all nations.”
