Some leading European powers now accept that ships transiting the vital Strait of Hormuz will have to pay fees to Iran and Oman, according to people familiar with the matter.
The prospect of some sort of service fee in the aftermath of the US and Israeli war with the Islamic Republic was described as a given by two of the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations.
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Privately, some Gulf Arab officials hold the same view, they said, though this is not necessarily the formal position of their governments.
It’s unclear what type or the amount of fees any nation would be willing to accept. The US and Gulf Arab countries, meanwhile, continue to insist that Iran and Oman cannot impose charges of any kind for the Hormuz strait. Concerns include adhering to international maritime law and the risk it creates a precedent for other countries to impose fees on different waterways.
While coming to terms with the idea of the additional costs, European countries have pressed Iranian and Omani officials not to discriminate against ships based on their nationality, the people said. The UK, France and other European nations are also pushing for an international maritime coalition to help with clearing mines in Hormuz, but its deployment will depend on negotiations over a permanent peace deal progressing, they said.
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Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait either declined to comment or didn’t respond to requests for comment from Bloomberg.
