Iran proposes fees for maritime services in Strait of Hormuz

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said maritime service fees should be charged in the Strait of Hormuz as Tehran and Oman negotiate a temporary shipping route. He said discussions were progressing smoothly, with technical issues and safe navigation still being addressed

Tehran: Fees should be charged for maritime services provided in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday.

He made the remarks at a weekly press conference in response to a question about whether fees for maritime services had been discussed during negotiations between Iran and Oman on the designation of a new route in the waterway.

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“Generally, when you provide maritime services, you must be reimbursed for them,” Baghaei said.

“At this stage, we do not discuss such details,” he said, adding that the discussions were continuing and “certain technical points” would be discussed, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Baghaei said the negotiations between Iran and Oman “are being held smoothly and constructively,” noting that mechanisms would be established to ensure safe shipping, address environmental issues, provide maritime services and combat crimes in the strait.

Under a potential agreement to be reached between the two sides, the existing northern and southern routes in the strait would be replaced by an intermediate one, he said, adding that the new route would be used temporarily until Iran and Oman agree on a new traffic separation scheme.

Baghaei attributed the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to US and Israeli “military aggression” against Iran, saying its reopening hinges on the elimination of the conditions imposed on Iran.

He repeated that Iran is not negotiating with the United States, but the two countries continue to exchange messages through mediators.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that “we are only semi-negotiating” with Iran, noting that he is prepared to allow economic pressure on Iran to mount — as opposed to ordering a new military offensive, Axios reported.

“We are low-keying it,” Trump told Axios during a brief phone call, arguing that Iran “is in very bad shape” economically.

The report noted that an agreement governing traffic in the Strait of Hormuz was negotiated among Iran, Oman and the United States and “has been pending for a few days now.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Saturday that Iran and Oman are “very close” to an agreement on the designation of a temporary route for maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran’s official news agency IRNA.