US rejects Iran bid to levy Hormuz transit fees after war truce
What's new: The UN maritime agency plans to evacuate more than 11,000 sailors as traffic recovers to about 40% of normal levels.
The United States pushed back on any Iranian move to charge ships for using the Strait of Hormuz, saying international law bars tolls on the strategic waterway. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the warning as he arrived in the United Arab Emirates for talks with Gulf allies after a preliminary US-Iran agreement to halt the war and reopen the strait.
Iran and Oman said they would study how to administer the route and what costs could be charged for services, while Tehran insisted the waterway would not return to its prewar status. The UN’s International Maritime Organization said it would begin evacuating more than 11,000 sailors stranded during the blockade. Ship traffic has picked up since the truce but was still just above 40% of the usual peacetime level, according to maritime tracking platforms cited by The Straits Times.