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Iran is planning to charge foreign ships a toll in exchange for "protection" across the Strait of Hormuz, a key trade route and a flashpoint in the escalating dispute between the United States and the Islamic Republic.

A member of the Iranian Parliament's presidium said foreign commercial entities should compensate Iran as "the true provider of security in the region and international waters,". Amirhossein Qazizadeh Hashemi claimed ships enter Iranian waters on their way through the strait and should therefore pay a toll.




Iran is planning to charge foreign ships a toll in exchange for "protection" across the Strait of Hormuz, a key trade route and a flashpoint in the escalating dispute between the United States and the Islamic Republic.

A member of the Iranian Parliament's presidium said foreign commercial entities should compensate Iran as "the true provider of security in the region and international waters." Amirhossein Qazizadeh Hashemi claimed ships enter Iranian waters on their way through the strait and should therefore pay a toll.


The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow, 21-mile waterway linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and greater Arabian Sea. About 18.5 million barrels of oil travel through the strait each day, accounting for 30% of the world's sea-traded oil. The waterway is considered crucial to global trade, but with a shipping lane only three miles long, it is also extremely vulnerable.