The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman stated that Iran will continue charging fees from vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, directly contradicting President Trump's recent assertion that no toll would be collected. The spokesman also reiterated the foreign minister's position that there will be no return to the pre-war situation, and that from Iran's perspective the strait is under its sovereignty and Oman's — not international waters.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman explicitly contradicted President Trump on Monday evening, stating that toll collection in the Strait of Hormuz continues — directly rebutting Trump's claim that no tolls would be collected. The spokesman reiterated the foreign minister's position from earlier that there will be no return to the pre-war situation, and that from Tehran's perspective the strait is under Iranian and Omani sovereignty, not international waters.
The statement is the latest in a rapid sequence of hardening Iranian positions reported by The Zioneer. Since June 12 alone, the desk has tracked multiple senior Iranian officials weighing in: Deputy Foreign Minister Esmail Baghaei affirmed the fee plan (Jun 12, 22:35); Foreign Minister Araghchi linked the toll to frozen asset release (Jun 12, 22:35); and earlier that day Araghchi had clarified the fees are for services, not taxes, under international law. On June 9, Araghchi declared the strait a shared maritime route with Oman, not international waters (Jun 9, 21:25). On June 7, Iran was reported to have begun implementing fees of $1.5–$2 million per vessel.
As The Zioneer has also reported, the US has countered through Treasury Secretary Bessent's statement that any tolls paid to the strait authority would be offset from Iranian accounts (Jun 11, 20:05). Iran's chief of staff claimed full control of the waterway on June 12 (17:41), while the US Energy Secretary said on the same day that no Iranian crude would leave the strait (17:52).
What remains open: there is no independent confirmation of actual fee payments or enforcement against non-compliant vessels. The diplomatic standoff continues with both sides staking out conflicting public positions.
10 developments
- StrongIranian Foreign Ministry spokesman: vessels to pay 'navigation, insurance, environmental' fees in Hormuz
- DevelopingIranian FM: Strait of Hormuz is not international waters, but a shared maritime route with Oman
- DevelopingBarak Betesh (i24NEWS) scrutinizes Trump’s claim on toll-free Hormuz, noting Iran switched to insurance fee instead
- StrongIran Demands Hormuz Revenue, Says Trump Post Contradicts Interim Deal
Source and signal
- Internal intake