Iran’s Parliament Security Committee has approved a plan that could impose tolls on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints, according to reporting relayed by ANI and Lokmat Times from Iranian state media.
The proposal, described as the “Strait of Hormuz Management Plan,” would establish a rial-based toll system while also setting out security arrangements, ship-safety rules and environmental protections. It would further codify Iran’s claim to sovereign control over the waterway.
The report said the plan would ban passage for American and Israeli vessels and would also bar ships from countries participating in unilateral sanctions against Iran. It also outlined cooperation with Oman on the legal framework for the strait, underscoring the geopolitical importance of the narrow channel that links Gulf producers to global markets.
The decision comes amid a period of sharply elevated regional tension. The report said the conflict in West Asia between Iran and the U.S.-Israeli coalition is in its second month, with Tehran trying to show that it can control access to a corridor through which a significant share of the world’s oil shipments pass.
The announcement was paired with more confrontational remarks from Washington. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News that the United States would eventually retake control of the Strait of Hormuz through American or multinational escorts. U.S. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, threatened to strike Iranian energy infrastructure if Tehran did not reopen the strait.
The Iranian measure, if implemented, would be a direct challenge to freedom of navigation in one of the most strategically sensitive waterways on earth. Even the prospect of tolls or selective passage restrictions can unsettle shipping markets because the strait is so central to crude exports and regional trade.
The report did not say when the law would be formally passed or how quickly it could be enforced. But the committee’s approval alone signals that Iranian lawmakers are considering ways to convert military and political pressure into legal and economic leverage.
The plan’s inclusion of Oman is notable because Muscat has often played a quiet diplomatic role in Gulf security. Any framework involving the strait is likely to require some regional coordination, even if Tehran is trying to assert unilateral authority.
For now, the message is clear: Iran is treating the Strait of Hormuz not just as a shipping lane but as a bargaining tool in a wider confrontation with the United States and Israel.
