Iran’s China envoy vows ‘special’ Hormuz treatment for ‘friendly’ countries

Iran’s ambassador to China says ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz would be charged new fees but added that China and other “friendly” countries would be granted “special considerations”.

An initial deal signed by Iran and the United States last month to halt hostilities stipulated that commercial ships would transit the key waterway free of charge for 60 days, but it remained unclear what policies will be in place after that period.

While negotiations on a permanent settlement are ongoing, the US has said Iran will not be permitted to charge tolls or fees for vessels transiting the strait under any final agreement.

Speaking to the World Peace Forum in Beijing on Saturday, Ambassador Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said Iran was working in “collaboration and cooperation” with Oman on “new arrangements” for the strait.

“As a country where the Hormuz is part of its territorial waters, we will definitely charge service fees,” Fazli said in translated remarks while insisting that such fees would not be a “toll”.

“These new arrangements will be concerning guaranteeing the security of passage through the Straits of Hormuz, supervision of the passage of the vessels … and also guaranteeing and dealing with the environmental consequences of the massive number of ships,” he said, according to the AFP news agency.

Iran’s NourNews agency also quoted him as saying that “special considerations” would be applied to China and other friendly nations in determining the level and type of service fees for vessels passing through the waterway.

In peacetime, one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas was shipped through the strait, which was all but closed by Iran during the war launched by the US and Israel in late February, sending energy prices soaring.

In April, the US imposed a corresponding naval blockade on Iran’s southern ports in a bid to stem Iranian oil exports.

Fazli stressed that the strait has become a “security” issue since the four-month war waged by the US and Iran.

Fazli added that new arrangements concerning the Strait of Hormuz would be made in cooperation and partnership with Oman.

Iran and Oman, which sit on both sides of the strait, have established a joint committee to determine how this strategic waterway will be managed.