Iranian officials confirmed on Tuesday that Tehran intends to impose fees on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz once the 60-day implementation period established under the US-Iran interim memorandum of understanding expires, identifying the transit charge issue as one of the most contentious unresolved questions in ongoing negotiations toward a permanent agreement.
Iran’s parliament speaker stated on state television that free passage through the strategic waterway would only be guaranteed during the 60-day window created by the memorandum signed earlier this month. That agreement extended a fragile ceasefire and reopened the strait to commercial shipping after months of conflict had disrupted global energy flows through the critical chokepoint. Once that window closes, Tehran intends to begin charging for what it describes as maritime services provided in the waterway.
Why Iran says the grace period exists
The speaker explained the 60-day free transit arrangement as a response to requests from Persian Gulf coastal states rather than as an indefinite policy concession by Iran. He indicated that the decision to waive charges temporarily was made specifically because the outbreak of war and the temporary closure of the strait had left vessels stranded in the area, creating a humanitarian and commercial emergency that the grace period was designed to address.
He also indicated that Iran had committed to clearing mines from the waterway within 30 days as part of the interim arrangement, adding another logistical dimension to the implementation period that the negotiations in Doha would need to address. The mine clearance commitment reflects the degree to which the conflict had altered conditions in and around the strait before the ceasefire.
The legal framework Iran is citing
The speaker grounded Iran’s position in a specific provision of the interim memorandum, pointing to language that calls for Iran and Oman to jointly determine the future administration of the Strait of Hormuz, including maritime services, in accordance with international law and the sovereign rights of the coastal states bordering the waterway. That framing allows Iran to characterize the future charges not as transit tolls in the traditional sense but as fees for services it provides as a sovereign coastal state in waters that partially fall within its jurisdiction.
Iranian state media characterized the remarks more directly, describing them as confirmation that transit through the strait would become a paid service after the 60-day period, regardless of the more nuanced language the speaker used. The distinction matters legally and diplomatically because the United States has firmly rejected the idea that any country can impose tolls on an international waterway, while remaining more open to the concept of fees for specific navigational services.
The backdrop of negotiations in Doha
The comments came as technical negotiations aimed at converting the interim memorandum into a permanent agreement moved to Doha under Qatari mediation. American negotiators participating in the Doha talks face the challenge of reconciling Iran’s stated intention to impose charges with Washington’s clear public position that no transit fees will be permitted on international waters.
The Hormuz fee question sits at the intersection of Iranian sovereignty claims, international maritime law, and the practical interests of the many nations whose economies depend on uninterrupted energy flows through the strait. Resolving it in a way that preserves the ceasefire while producing a framework both sides can present as a success to their domestic audiences is among the most complex tasks facing negotiators in the weeks ahead.
