The US is urging Iran to abandon its demand for transit tolls from ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, but Tehran has so far resisted, according to a report. The issue has been a major point of tension in the strategic waterway, where Iran has sought to impose fees.
This evening, a new report indicates that Washington is pressing Tehran to drop its demand for transit tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, but that Iran has so far refused to yield. The development follows a sequence of reports on Thursday June 26, when The Wall Street Journal published multiple items about US proposals to release frozen Iranian funds in exchange for a full reopening of the waterway without tolls or insurance fees. At 18:25 Jerusalem, version after version detailed offers ranging from partial to full unfreezing of assets, always met with Iranian refusal at that stage.
On Thursday June 26 at 18:25 Jerusalem, our thread logged at least seven WSJ-sourced dispatches sorting through those proposals. By the same evening, a report added Oman as a co-proposer alongside the US, and another noted that Tehran was said to have refused a full-offer for reopening. Earlier, on Tuesday June 23 at 20:21 Jerusalem, an Iranian analyst close to the conservative camp claimed in a state-media interview that the US, not Iran, would be collecting tolls — directly contradicting senior Iranian officials who had insisted on 'service fees.' On Saturday June 27 at 11:58 Jerusalem, a US official confirmed that Iran had notified Washington it would not collect tolls, signaling a potential de-escalation, but the new report tonight suggests that issue remains unresolved.
As The Zioneer reported on Saturday June 27 at 20:40 Jerusalem, Iran has been targeting southern Hormuz shipping to enforce what analysts assess as protection payments, while vessels have shifted to the Omani side amid nightly Iranian drone launches, as noted in a Sunday June 28 bulletin. The Trump administration has repeatedly labeled any Iranian toll collection a 'red line.' The Energy Secretary acknowledged on Tuesday June 30 that the strait remains effectively closed, with tankers relying on US Navy escort.
The present report is based on a single source and has not been independently corroborated. It is unclear whether this represents a fresh US pressure campaign or a continuation of the same diplomatic track; Iran's reported refusal is also unattributed.
6 developments
- DevelopingUS official says Iran told Washington it will not collect Strait of Hormuz tolls
- DevelopingIran analyst claims U.S. will collect Strait of Hormuz tolls, contradicting Tehran's officials
- DevelopingSenior US official: Strait of Hormuz to reopen 'with no tolls' under framework deal with Iran
- StrongEuropean powers increasingly accept Strait of Hormuz transit fees as Washington opposes
Source and signal
- Internal intake