Europe considering proposals to allow navigational fees in strait of Hormuz | Strait of Hormuz

Europe is working on proposals that could allow navigation fees in the Strait of Hormuz as long as tolls are not mandatory and have the support of the UN agency that regulates shipping.

British deputy prime minister David Lammy said imposing compulsory tolls would be a disaster. But some of his cabinet colleagues said they accepted that payment systems for certain navigation services were allowed in many natural waterways, including the Strait of Malacca and the Canal.

This came as US officials demanded that Iran make a public statement that the Strait of Hormuz was open and that ships using the vital corridor would no longer be attacked. US officials blamed power struggles within Tehran for the difficulty of reaching and adhering to the agreement.

Donald Trump reiterated on social media Friday that the temporary ceasefire agreement was “over” but that the United States would continue talks toward a permanent end to the war.

Hours later, the US president made new threats against Iran if it tried to assassinate him, saying “1,000 missiles are locked, loaded and targeting the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Oman, together with British lawyers, developed a strait proposal that adapted the principles of the Strait of Malacca. Muscat has now offered to send legal experts to Tehran to explain the plan in detail.

Iranian state media reported on Friday that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Oman on Saturday for talks on the strait. Iran’s official IRNA news agency quoted foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei as saying the visit “will focus on the Strait of Hormuz and shipping security” and “will be a continuation of the consultations we started with Oman in the last month or two.”

Oman controls most of the navigable waters in the strait and opposes the mandatory toll. Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said: “Giving sovereignty of the strait to the Iranians, in contradiction with international maritime law, would essentially be agreeing to be hostage to any radical elements that seek to seize the strait at any time.”

But the scale of Oman’s alternative plan may not match the ambitions of the Iranians, especially the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. One diplomat said: “Parts of the Revolutionary Guard say the US launched an unlawful attack on them in February, so why bother with international maritime law? Others want to cooperate. There is a division in Tehran.”

Iran is also under pressure from regional states to clarify its proposals and whether fees should be mandatory.

The Iranian embassy in London said it was interested in proposals prepared independently by Iran. Energy Policy Research Group.

The article argued that a transparent service fee embedded in an inclusive regional order would encourage all parties to cooperate, adding that the plan was not a crude fee imposed on ships just for passage through the Bosphorus.

speaking at the meeting International Maritime Organization council In London on Thursday, Omani delegate Khamis bin Mohammed Al Shamakhi said: “The right to transit through straits used for international navigation is guaranteed by international law and does not support the imposition of transit fees on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.”

But he added that Oman sees value in exploring voluntary regulations “on navigation support services that could further enhance maritime safety and security, protect the marine environment, reduce the risk of pollution and strengthen preparedness for maritime emergencies, including collisions and fires on ships and tankers.”

Behind these statements lies Oman’s detailed study on the governorship of the Strait of Malacca, which connects the Indian and Pacific oceans. In a report submitted to the IMO council on the cooperation mechanism for the Malacca and Singapore straits, it was stated that more than 120,000 ships pass through the strait every year.

The report stated that the mechanism “has transformed into a structured and inclusive platform where the risks, technological developments and environmental priorities emerging in the straits can be collectively addressed.” Voluntary contributions, especially from Japan, ensure that the mechanism remains operational.

At the London meeting, an alliance of some Gulf and European states pressed for a resolution condemning Iran’s attempt to control the Strait of Hormuz by attacking ships. The proposal was not supported by Russia or China.

Russia said the conflict resolution completely ignored the root causes of the crisis, while China described the text as one-sided and beyond the authority of the IMO.

The move comes after the United States this week struck more than 150 targets, mostly in southern Iran, in a bid to eliminate the Iranians’ ability to harass shipping with drones, missiles and small boats. Iran responded by striking US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.

A diplomat said there were two reasons for the renewed fighting. One of these concerned the disputed control of the strait during its reopening, the other concerned the long-term management of the waterway, including whether Malacca provided a model acceptable to Iran.

Article 5 of the memorandum of understanding (MoU), the ceasefire negotiation road map signed by Washington and Tehran last month, promised that Iran would do its best to ensure the safe passage of commercial efforts through the strait for only 60 days.

Once technical and military obstacles are removed, commercial ship traffic will be “restarted” within 30 days.

The US claimed that the Memorandum of Understanding did not mean that ships could pass through the strait only with Iran’s permission and only along routes determined by Tehran.

Separately, the memorandum committed Iran to hold talks with Oman on a long-term plan for the strait.

In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC navy claimed that it had fulfilled its Memorandum of Understanding commitments as it interpreted it.

IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominquez believed Iran had won the southern route agreement that would allow thousands of stranded sailors to evacuate the strait, but in the event of a deal Tehran revoked its ratification of the deal, forcing the UN body to suspend its plan.

The United States nevertheless continued to encourage commercial traffic vessels to use the southern route. U.S. Central Command claims that since early May, U.S. forces have “helped facilitate the successful passage of more than 800 commercial ships and 380 million barrels of crude oil through the vital international trade corridor.”

“We reiterate that foreigners have no role in these lands and in the Strait of Hormuz,” the Revolutionary Guard Navy said.

Diplomats are now examining whether Tehran insists that all ships use the northern route close to Iran to clear the ships’ backlog, or simply requires that all ships obtain permission from the country and the Persian Gulf Strait Authority to use the southern route.