USA, sharp message against the tolling system desired by Iran in Hormuz / New criticism of NATO allies
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Thursday that a diplomatic deal between the US and Iran would be “unfeasible” if Tehran implements a toll system in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for global energy shipments.
“Nobody in the world is in favor of the toll system. It can't happen. It would be unacceptable. It would make a diplomatic deal unfeasible if they continued to pursue this. So it's a threat to the world if they tried to do that and it's completely illegal,” Rubio said, as quoted by Reuters.
Bloomberg reported Thursday that Iran is discussing with Oman how to create some form of permanent tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz, which would formalize its control over maritime traffic through the route.
Iran's Persian Gulf Straits Authority (PGSA), a new body tasked with checking and taxing ships, became operational on May 18, according to the publication Europa Liberă.
$2 million per ship
Windward, a maritime intelligence company, said in a report Wednesday that Iran is “transforming the strait from a disrupted transit corridor into a state-run permit and fee regime.”
Iraq, Pakistan and India have signed bilateral agreements with Iran that exempt them from the tolling system, but the other countries are subject to paying a transit fee, which the international press has written amounts to about $2 million per ship, in Chinese yuan or cryptocurrencies.
Experts estimate that Iran's tax system could generate as much as $3 billion a year at current levels. The sum could rise to around $8 billion in the scenario where maritime traffic returns to pre-war levels, when 140 ships transited the strait every day.
Marco Rubio on negotiations with Iran and NATO allies
While criticizing Iran's desired toll system, the US secretary of state said there was some progress in talks with Tehran to end the war.
“There are some good signs,” says Rubio. “I don't want to be too optimistic (…). So, let's see what happens in the next few days,” added the American official.
At the same time, he criticized the NATO allies for not supporting the United States in the war against Iran.
President Donald Trump “is not asking them to send their fighter jets. But they refuse to do anything,” the head of US diplomacy told reporters before attending the NATO Ministerial in Sweden. “We were very upset about this,” Marco Rubio concluded.
