Iran is reportedly seeking to generate tens of billions of dollars annually by imposing new charges on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a proposal that has drawn swift opposition from the Trump administration and regional allies who insist the vital international waterway must remain free of transit fees.

According to a report published Thursday by The Wall Street Journal, Iranian officials believe a new framework involving charges for security, safety, and environmental services in the Strait of Hormuz could produce as much as $40 billion a year for participating countries while significantly expanding Tehran’s influence over one of the world’s most strategically important shipping routes.

The report says Iranian officials have presented the concept to neighboring Gulf states and to China, arguing that the strategic waterway has entered a new era following the recent U.S.-Iran conflict and that management of the strait “will never return to the way it was before.”

If implemented, the proposal would represent a major departure from decades of international maritime practice, under which commercial vessels have enjoyed toll-free passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio firmly rejected the idea while visiting Bahrain on Thursday, warning that permitting Iran to charge ships for passage through an international waterway would establish an unacceptable precedent, according to CBS News.

“The reality is that no country on Earth has the right to charge for the use of international waterways,” Rubio said. “That will never be an acceptable condition of any deal.”

Oman’s Foreign Minister, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, echoed Rubio’s position following meetings with the secretary of state and fellow Gulf leaders, stating that any future agreement governing the Strait of Hormuz “will not involve imposing any transit fees.”

President Donald Trump also sought to reassure markets on Wednesday, saying on Truth Social that Iranian officials had informed the United States they intended to impose “no tolls, no insurance costs & no other charges of any kind” on vessels passing through the strait.

Trump added that if reports of planned fees prove accurate, negotiations with Tehran would end “immediately.”

The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical energy corridors, carrying approximately 20 percent of global oil supplies. While commercial shipping has gradually resumed following the recent conflict, some shipping companies continue to exercise caution.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Iran has already established an insurance company that it says vessels should utilize when transiting the strait and has introduced new registration requirements directing ships to notify Iranian authorities two days before entering the waterway.

Legal experts told the newspaper that Iran would face formidable legal obstacles in implementing such a system.

Unlike Turkey, which possesses treaty-based authority under a 1936 international agreement to collect certain fees in the Dardanelles, any comparable arrangement in the Strait of Hormuz would almost certainly require broad international approval through the International Maritime Organization.

As negotiations with Tehran continue, the Trump administration has repeatedly emphasized that unrestricted navigation through the Strait of Hormuz remains a non-negotiable principle of U.S. policy.

{Matzav.com}