DUBAI — Iran’s Parliamentary Security Committee has approved plans to impose tolls on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz in an attempt to assert greater control over the waterway that has been effectively closed due to the deepening war in the Middle East. The plan includes measures to ban American and Israeli vessels from passing through the vital energy corridor, according to the Wall Street Journal. Citing a member of the parliament’s security commission, Iran’s state TV said the plan involved, among other things, “financial arrangements and rial toll systems” and “implementing the sovereign role of Iran”, as well as cooperation with Oman on the other side of the strait. Fars news agency earlier quoted the chairman of the parliamentary civil affairs committee as saying that Iran must collect fees to ensure the security of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran, Tehran has disrupted maritime transit through the strait for vessels it says are linked to its war adversaries and their allies. Maritime monitors indicate that a handful of vessels are still crossing daily through the strait, which is guarded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, with some taking a Tehran-approved route through the waterway. Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar announced this week that Iran has allowed 20 more ships to pass through Hormuz, noting the move would help usher stability in the conflict-ridden region. Rajesh Kumar Sinha. special secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, said at least 10 foreign-flagged ships, carrying energy supplies bound for India, are stranded in the Gulf. This is in addition to 18 India-flagged vessels carrying LPG, crude oil, and LNGthat are anchored to the west of the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump last week claimed 10 oil tankers were allowed transit the Strait of Hormuz as an apparent goodwill gesture in negotiation with Iran. Trump made the comments at a Cabinet meeting in the White House, elaborating on what he had previously described as a “present” from Tehran. — Agencies
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