Oman has voiced opposition to Iran's consideration of imposing transit fees on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Oman's state-run Al-Wisal Radio on Friday (local time), Oman's Transport Minister Said al-Maawali told the Shura Council (parliament) the previous day that "Oman has signed all international maritime transport conventions and accordingly cannot impose any fees on strait passage." He emphasized that "the Strait of Hormuz is a natural waterway, not an artificial canal created by human intervention," noting there is no legal basis for collecting tolls unlike the Suez Canal.
Minister al-Maawali pointed to a "legal vacuum" stemming from some countries' non-compliance with international conventions as the source of confusion surrounding the Strait of Hormuz. "Iran, the United States, and some other countries have not signed certain international maritime law conventions," he said, "which is causing differences in interpretation regarding strait operations."
These remarks are drawing attention amid recent reports that Iran is considering imposing transit fees on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz to raise funds for post-war reconstruction.
Earlier, Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, said in a recent interview with foreign media that Iran is working with Oman to create a new protocol for monitoring ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. At the time, Gharibabadi emphasized that "one should not expect pre-war rules to apply" and that "restrictions and prohibitions on navigation will be inevitable for aggressor nations and those supporting them."
The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic chokepoint through which 20 percent of global seaborne oil shipments pass. Iran and Oman divided their territorial waters along a median line according to the equidistance principle through a 1974 agreement. Until the war, ships transited through the strait following Traffic Separation Schemes (TSS) designated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), but the Strait of Hormuz has been "effectively closed" since the Middle East conflict.
Meanwhile, according to Russia's TASS news agency on Friday (local time), a senior Iranian source said that "under the ceasefire agreement with the United States, only up to 15 ships per day will be allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz." The source added that "all vessel movements will be conditionally permitted, subject to approval by Iranian authorities and compliance with specific protocols."
