Iran has officially collected its revenue from the toll that the country imposed on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the Gulf region’s major shipping routes.
The deputy speaker of the Iranian Parliament made this announcement about receiving the first toll.
“The first revenues from transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz have been deposited into the Central Bank account,” he said in comments made by a semi-official. Tasneem News Agency.
However, the Deputy Speaker did not reveal how much he gets as shipping charges. The toll that Iran charges depends on the number, type and quantity of cargo and the level of risk posed by the cargo.
MP Alireza Salimi also justified this news of charging fees. The announcement comes as the Middle East grapples with months of rising tensions between Iran and the US, threatening global energy markets and sending oil prices above $100 a barrel.
Earlier on 8th April wall street journal Tehran was reported to be ordering ships to pay shipping fees in advance with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to Iranian officials, the payment will be received in cryptocurrencies or Chinese yuan.
In March, the semi-official ISNA news agency also reported that Iran was considering legislation that would require countries to pay fees for ships passing through strategically important chokepoints.
Tehran’s law would formalize an already widely reported unilateral arrangement by the shipping industry, demanding ships pay US$2 million (S$2.56 million) in unofficial tolls, as reported Straits Times.
Earlier the US President had warned that the US would not hesitate to target ships if they paid Iran to use the Strait of Hormuz.
