Comments in Beijing and market reaction highlight concerns that Iranian fees at the key oil chokepoint could favor partners such as China and spur wider anxiety over other maritime routes.
Iran is signaling that passage through the Strait of Hormuz could be shaped by its foreign policy, with potential service or administrative fees applied unevenly across countries. Speaking in Beijing on Saturday, Iran’s ambassador to China said Iran "will definitely charge service fees" for ships transiting the strait, adding that China and other "friendly" nations may receive "special considerations" in the level and type of fee. The remarks come amid reports that Iran and Oman have proposed jointly administering the strait and collecting fees after a 60-day U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding on safe and free navigation. The prospect has unsettled some investors, with Rystad Energy saying worries are extending to whether similar toll ideas could be raised at other maritime choke points such as the Strait of Malacca, even though maritime experts say legal and political barriers there make that unlikely.