TEHRAN — A senior Iranian parliament official said on Thursday that Tehran has received the first revenue from tolls it imposed on the strategic Strait of Hormuz in its war with the United States and Israel.
Hamidreza Hajibabaei, the deputy speaker of Iran’s parliament, the first revenues from Iran’s new tolls on shipping transiting the Strait of Hormuz have been deposited into the state’s central bank account, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.
“We have control over this Strait,” Hajibabaei said, speaking at a public gathering in the western city of Kuhdasht.
“If the United States continues on its current course, no vessels will pass through the Strait of Hormuz,” Hajibabaei said. He added, “We are not engaged in negotiations — rather, we are making demands.”
Alireza Salimi, another member of the Iranian parliament, confirmed the deposit of the revenues in an interview with the semi-official Tasnim News Agency on Thursday.
“The amount collected from each ship depends on its cargo and level of risk they pose,” Salimi said, as quoted by Tasnim.
“Iran determines how much and how these fees are collected, in other words, we determine the rules,” Salimi said.
The Strait of Hormuz, a key energy chokepoint, has become a major flashpoint since the outbreak of the Middle East war on February 28.
Iran has allowed only a trickle of ships to pass through the waterway, a route that in peacetime accounts for a fifth of the world’s oil and gas flows, along with other vital commodities.
Before the announcement of revenue from tolls, Iran’s parliament had been deciding whether to impose them on shipping through the strait, with Iranian officials warning that maritime traffic through the strait would “not return to its pre-war status.”
On March 30, Iranian state media said the parliament’s security commission had approved plans to impose tolls, but it was not clear if a final parliamentary vote on the proposal had taken place. — Agencies
Source: Saudi Gazette