The International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency, announced on Monday that it opposes transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump called for ships to pay protection fees.
“We have always been consistent in our stance on tolls and the IMO is firmly opposed to imposing tolls on passage through straits used for international navigation,” the spokesperson said.
“There is no legal basis to require a toll just for crossing the strait,” the spokesperson said.
President Trump said on Monday that the U.S. military would protect shipping traffic through Hormuz, but demanded reimbursement equal to 20% of the value of all cargo transported through the strait. He ordered the U.S. Navy to reimpose a blockade on Iranian shipping.
“The Strait of Hormuz is open and will remain open with or without Iran,” President Trump said. “We will reinstate the Iranian blockade, so named because it only blocks Iranian ships and customers from entering and exiting. All other countries will have fair and open access to this strait.”
Iran has in the past required ships to pay tolls to safely pass through Hormuz. Under a memorandum of understanding signed with the United States on June 17, the Iranian government agreed not to collect tolls for 60 days.
Herbbjorn Hansson, CEO of Nordic American Tankers, said in an interview with CNBC that he believes Trump’s 20% fee is unrealistic. Hanson said Iran and the United States need to agree on how to manage the strait.
“Iran is suffering, the United States is suffering, and so are the 192 countries outside the Strait of Hormuz,” the CEO said.
James Kraska, an expert on international maritime law at the U.S. Naval War College, said the toll through Hormuz violates international law. Kraska said the world has an unimpeded right to transit through Hormuz.
The security situation in Hormuz has worsened since Iran attacked several commercial ships passing through the strait over the past week. The Iranian government requires all ships to use the Northern Passage through its territorial waters. The U.S. Navy is assisting ships transiting the southern corridor along the Omani coast.
The United States launched multiple airstrikes against Iran in retaliation for the ship attack. The Iranian government responded by opening fire on US allies in the Gulf.
“Based on the International Maritime Organization Convention and the International Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea, Iran cannot unilaterally force a change in traffic routes through Hormuz,” Kraska said. He said that due to its obligations under these treaties, Iran has a legal obligation to abide by the traditional route through Hormuz, known as the Traffic Separation Plan.
