Iran moves to charge ‘authorised’ ships for services while crossing Strait of Hormuz

An Iranian parliamentary committee has approved a provision allowing Tehran to levy service charges on ships authorised to transit the Strait of Hormuz, adding another layer to the increasingly contested rules governing one of the world's most important energy corridors. Iran's Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Commission approved Article 3 of a proposed legislation titled the “Strategic Action for Securing and Advancing the Strait of Hormuz”, commission spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said on Sunday. Under the provision, vessels permitted to cross the strait would be charged for services supplied by Iran during their passage. The measure comes amid months of disruption to maritime traffic through the waterway and continuing tensions between Tehran and Washington.

Services to attract fees

The proposed charges would cover maritime navigation and environmental services as well as fuel supplied under special circumstances, insurance-related facilities, safety assistance and other services provided to ships passing through the strait.

The provision does not amount to final enactment of the broader legislation. It has been approved at the parliamentary committee stage as part of the proposed framework for managing the strategic waterway.

The precise financial implications for individual vessels will depend on how the mechanism is ultimately implemented. The committee provision allows payments to be collected in Iranian rials or another currency accepted by Tehran.

The distinction between a compulsory transit toll and payment for services could prove important as Iran faces international objections to any attempt to impose unilateral charges simply for navigating the strait.

Hormuz traffic remains disrupted

The development comes at a particularly sensitive moment for global shipping. Maritime traffic through Hormuz remains far below normal levels following months of conflict and security concerns.

Before the current crisis, the strait handled nearly one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas flows. Recent ship-tracking data, however, showed commodity vessel crossings falling to single digits on some days.

Iran has been granting passage selectively to some vessels. Tehran on Saturday confirmed that several Iraqi oil tankers had received special permission to cross the strait following diplomatic efforts by Baghdad.

The latest parliamentary move indicates that Tehran is now seeking to place the provision of services to such authorised vessels within a more formal domestic legal framework.

Dispute over Iran's role

Iran's attempts to regulate passage through Hormuz have become a major point of contention with the United States and other countries dependent on the waterway.

Washington has opposed Iranian demands for tolls or mandatory payments for passage. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in June that Iran should not be allowed to charge vessels merely for transiting the international waterway.

European discussions earlier this year considered whether Iran could receive payments for legitimate navigational services while maintaining the principle that such payments should not become compulsory tolls for passage.

The question has assumed greater urgency because of the extraordinary importance of Hormuz to the global energy economy. The narrow waterway connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and provides the principal maritime export route for several of the world's largest oil and gas producers.

Any additional costs or uncertainty surrounding passage can feed into freight rates, marine insurance premiums and ultimately global energy prices.

Strategic pressure point

Iran has long viewed its geographic position alongside the strait as a major source of strategic leverage. The latest proposal goes further by seeking to formalise the services and charges associated with vessels Tehran permits to cross.

The practical impact will depend on whether the measure becomes law, the level at which fees are eventually set and how international shipping companies respond.

It also remains unclear how the Iranian framework will interact with continuing diplomatic efforts to restore more regular maritime traffic through the waterway.

For global shipping and energy markets, however, the committee's approval signals that Tehran intends to retain a significant regulatory role over vessels using Hormuz even as negotiations continue over the future security and accessibility of the strait.