US Warns Against Iran Hormuz Tariffs, Citing Risk of 'Total Chaos'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has asserted that Iran will not be permitted to levy tariffs or fees on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. He warned that accepting such a practice would spread to other waterways, risking ‘total chaos’.

Speaking at a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Bahrain, Rubio stated, ‘International waterways do not belong to any single country. This is a fundamental principle in the world today; without it, the world would be in total chaos.’ He added, ‘If we accept that you can charge a fee for using an international waterway simply because it happens to be near your territorial waters, then this will spread across the globe like a contagion.’

Rubio emphasised that while the US desires a peace agreement, it will not come ‘at any price’. ‘Although we want a deal, we do not want a deal at any price. We want a good deal, a real deal, a verifiable deal, and a deal that is adhered to,’ he said. The senior US diplomat also assured that the interests of the Gulf states would be taken into account, pledging that no part of any agreement would undermine the security, stability, or prosperity of partners in the Gulf region.

The future of the Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most sensitive issues in US-Iran negotiations. During the war with the US, Iran closed the vital shipping lane, disrupting global maritime trade and triggering a surge in world energy prices. Under normal conditions, approximately one-fifth of the world’s natural gas and oil supplies exported by Gulf states pass through the strait. Tensions escalated after the US imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports in April, a move claimed to be aimed at pressuring Iranian oil exports. Whilst ships have returned to the strait following a peace deal signed last week, uncertainty persists regarding Iran’s policy on shipping traffic in the waterway.