Strait of Hormuz: Iran to charge ships for safe passage, reports say

Reports from regional and commodity news services indicate that some Iranian officials have discussed charging commercial vessels for “safe passage” through the Strait of Hormuz, with one prominent parliamentarian quoted as saying amounts up to $2 million per transit were being considered. That claim has been widely circulated in energy and maritime markets and has heightened uncertainty over shipping in the choke point.

The most-cited on-the-record remark came from MP Alaeddin Boroujerdi, who was reported saying the fee reflected the “cost of war.” Iranian diplomatic posts subsequently sought to distance official policy from individual remarks, saying such statements did not represent a formal government position. To date there has been no public, codified law formally establishing a universal toll regime; reporting suggests the situation remains fluid between ad hoc practice and potential legislative proposals.

Separately, Iranian state-affiliated outlets and maritime security commentators have signalled that “non-hostile” or pre-cleared vessels might receive coordinated safe passage if they meet Tehran’s conditions, effectively creating permissioned corridors rather than an unrestricted transit regime. Industry sources emphasise that operational details—notification procedures, vetting criteria and enforcement—are still evolving, which complicates routing and commercial planning for shipowners.

The immediate market impact has been to raise freight and insurance premia and to inject volatility into oil benchmarks as market participants price in higher logistical and security costs. Reports of limited transits and sporadic permissions have been enough to move tanker freight rates and to prompt short-term swings in Brent and WTI prices, as markets weigh both physical flow constraints and contingency measures such as strategic reserve releases.

Market commentators and legal analysts note that unilateral fee collection on a strait used for international navigation raises complex legal questions under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and could prompt multilateral responses, from naval escorts to pooled insurance arrangements. For investors and commodity traders, the key variables to watch are the durability of any Iranian practice, the scale of insured escort or diplomatic guarantees, and whether major buyers pivot supply lines—factors that will determine how persistent any premium on oil and shipping costs becomes.