Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a stern warning to Iran on Thursday, declaring that the Trump administration will not permit Tehran to impose fees or tolls on commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital maritime chokepoints.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Bahrain, Rubio dismissed reports that Iran may seek to charge ships for passage through the strategic waterway, calling the proposal unrealistic and unacceptable.

“Fees and tolls are the same thing to me,” Rubio told reporters. “If you’re paying someone to go there, I don’t care if you call it a fee or a toll or a donation. It’s a toll.”

Rubio argued that any attempt to collect such payments would inevitably require the use or threat of force, making the proposal both impractical and dangerous for global commerce.

“Let’s say a ship says, ‘Well, I’m not going to pay the fee,'” he said. “It’s not like a toll on a road. You don’t get a ticket in the mail. They get shot at. You shoot at one ship, you sink one ship, no other ship is going to move. So that sort of system is not only unwise, it can’t happen. It’s not even workable. So you might as well abandon the fantasy now.”

The secretary emphasized that Gulf nations are united in opposing any effort to charge ships for transiting the Strait of Hormuz and said President Donald Trump has made it clear that such a provision is unacceptable in any future agreement with Iran.

“There isn’t a nation on Earth that supports having to pay money to go through the straits,” Rubio said, adding, “If you are charging money to use the straits, we won’t support it. We won’t tolerate it. We won’t allow it.”

Rubio’s comments followed reports that some Iranian officials have suggested imposing charges for security, insurance, and related services after last week’s memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran, which temporarily restored unrestricted navigation through the strait while broader negotiations continue.

As part of that Trump administration-brokered agreement, Iran committed to allowing toll-free passage through the Strait of Hormuz for at least 60 days while both governments work toward a broader diplomatic settlement.

Rubio said the administration is ultimately concerned with Iran’s conduct rather than its public rhetoric and indicated that compliance with the agreement will be measured by whether international shipping continues uninterrupted.

“We’re interested in whether or not ships are moving,” he said. “If ships are moving as they should be moving, then that’s what we’re going to judge. If this rhetoric is backed up by actual ships being threatened and ships are not moving, that’s a violation of the agreement and we’re going to have a problem with it.”

The secretary reiterated that the United States remains committed to pursuing diplomacy, but stressed that negotiations will not come at the expense of American interests or regional security.

“We’re going to give diplomacy every chance to work,” Rubio said. “If Iran is interested in making a real deal, the United States is open to doing it. If they’re not, then the president will know that, and he’ll have options available to him.”

{Matzav.com}