The United States has called for the Strait of Hormuz to be opened without tolls as its ceasefire deal with Iran takes effect.
The two countries agreed to a two-week ceasefire yesterday. Iran said ships would be allowed through the strait under military supervision, and has demanded the ability to collect tolls on these vessels.
The ceasefire will depend on the strait being opened “without limitation, including tolls,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “We have seen an uptick of traffic in the strait today, and I will reiterate the president’s expectation and demand that the Strait of Hormuz is reopened immediately, quickly and safely.”
U.S. President Donald Trump also claimed soon after the ceasefire that the U.S. is considering assisting in charging tolls “as a joint venture”. Leavitt said Trump had proposed this, but Iran did not confirm it was included in negotiations.
Oil companies are lobbying the Trump administration to push back against toll measures, per Politico. These tolls would reportedly add US$2.5 million to each shipment across both toll costs and increased insurance rates.
Iran had begun collecting tolls during the war, with at least two ships reportedly paying about $2 million in yuan. Imposing tolls in the strait would likely violate the United Nations’ Convention on the Law of the Sea, which mandates freedom of peaceful navigation.
Iran’s government has alleged the U.S. has already violated the terms of the ceasefire, meanwhile.
The U.S. had said it accepted an Iranian 10-point plan as the basis for further negotiations, which included Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon. Israel has so far refused to do so, and Lebanon said at least 254 people were killed in Israeli strikes earlier today.
Iran also shot down a drone in its airspace, and the U.S. has denied Iran has a right to nuclear enrichment, which Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said were both violations of the ceasefire agreement.
The two countries are scheduled to conduct direct negotiations in Pakistan on Friday.
