Iran is contemplating the implementation of tolls or taxes on ships navigating the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing conflicts with Israel and the United States.
Photo : AP
Iran, that is at war with Israel and the United States, may start charging tolls or taxes on ships, vessels, oil and gas tankers that are using the strategic Strait of Hormuz sea passage. The development has come after Iranian lawmakers proposed to impose taxes on vessels passing through the Hormuz while the nation fights joint US-Israel attacks, first started on February 28. The Israel-US joint war against Iran began after they bombed the country with more than 30 bombs, eliminating its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, several other key leaders, and also his family members. The joint offensive against Iran was started even when the US and Iran were negotiating with American being firm that Tehran cannot have nuclear weapons. Iran, which has always maintained that its nuclear program was only meant for civil use and denied that it was developing any N-bomb, the US never bought his arguments saying they have more than enough uranium enriched to 60 percent capacity to power bombs.
Iran Targets Gulf, Middle East Nations
Ever since the US and Israel attacked Iran, the latter has been attacking Gulf and Middle Eastern countries including Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, apart from Israel, to pressure the United States, since it has its bases in these countries.
Iran, in order to further pressure the world, closed the Strait of Hormuz that completely stopped the supply of oil and natural gas to the world, threatening that enough unauthorised passage will be targeted and it has done that by attacking several vessels.
However, after diplomatic outreach, Iran allowed India and some other nations to take its vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
Why Iranian Lawmakers Said on Imposing Toll on Ships Passing Through Strait of Hormuz
But as the situation continues in the Gulf and Middle East, Iran is now mulling to impose tolls on vessels using the strategic sea route in Hormuz, as reported by The Strait Times.
“We in Parliament are pursuing a plan under which countries will pay tolls and taxes to the Islamic republic if the Strait of Hormuz is used as a secure route for transit, energy and food security,” Tehran lawmaker Somayeh Rafiei was quoted by ISNA news agency.
“The security of the strait will be established with strength, authority and grandeur by the Islamic Republic of Iran, and countries must pay a tax in return,” she said.
Iran Intensifies Attacks on Gulf Energy Sites
Iran on Thursday intensified its attacks on oil and natural gas facilities around the Gulf, raising the stakes in a war that is sending shock waves through the global economy.
The strikes, in retaliation for an Israeli attack on a key Iranian gas field, sent fuel prices soaring and risked drawing Iran’s Arab neighbors directly into the conflict. Tehran’s targeting of energy production further stressed global supplies already under pressure because of Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil is transported.
Since the US and Israel launched the war on February 28, Iran’s top leaders have been killed in airstrikes and the country’s military capabilities have been severely degraded. Still, Iran — now led by the son of the supreme leader killed in the war’s opening salvo — remains capable of missile and drone attacks causing significant pain on Gulf Arab neighbors and a global economy highly dependent the energy they produce.
