According to the newspaper, in a letter sent to members of the International Maritime Organization, Iran's foreign ministry said that Tehran “has taken necessary and proportionate actions to prevent aggressors and their supporters from using the Strait of Hormuz to conduct hostile operations.”
Iran may extort tribute
Tehran also stated in the document that entities linked to the United States and Israel, as well as “other participants in aggression, are not eligible for transfer.” The International Maritime Organization, headquartered in London, brings together 176 countries around the world.
According to Professor Natalie Klein from the American think-tank Defense of Democracies, Iran is to resort to extorting tribute for the opportunity to sail through Hormuz.
“Numerous reports confirm that Iran offers passage through its territorial waters in the strait in exchange for an amount of up to $2 million. This is an attempt to extort, and the tankers are happy to pay,” said the analyst, adding that the Iranian parliament is taking steps to introduce permanent taxes and fees for transport through territorial waters through Hormuz.
As a result of Iran's response to the war that Israel and the United States started against this country on February 28, transport through the Strait of Hormuz was seriously hampered. Under normal conditions, it passes through, among others: approx. 20 percent world supplies of crude oil. As a result of the blockade, the price of the raw material increased sharply on global markets.
