March 19, New Delhi: Iranian lawmakers have proposed a plan to impose tolls and taxes on ships passing through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, local media reported on Thursday.
Tehran lawmaker Somayeh Rafiei told ISNA news agency: "We in parliament are pursuing a plan under which countries will pay tolls and taxes to the Islamic Republic if the Strait of Hormuz is used as a secure route for transit, energy, and food security. The security of the strait will be established with strength, authority, and grandeur by Iran, and countries must pay a tax in return."
Traffic through the vital strait has been brought to a near standstill since the start of the war. The move is seen as a potential effort to monetize Tehran's strategic control over the critical waterway, through which roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied gas shipments pass.