Oman is reportedly moving to collect a "service fee" from ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz together with Iran, despite public opposition from the United States.
On the 30th (local time), the New York Times (NYT) reported, citing multiple diplomatic sources and Iranian officials, that Oman recently delivered an official proposal to the United States and Western countries that includes a plan for ships using the Strait of Hormuz to pay a service fee.
According to the NYT, Oman described it as a voluntary service fee, not a mandatory toll. It is said to have drawn on the system in the Malacca and Singapore straits, where a private foundation collects voluntary contributions for navigational safety.
Badr Al-Busaidi, Oman's foreign minister, also said in an Arabic radio interview on the 28th, "It clearly costs money to keep the waters safe and pollution-free and to respond to emergencies," adding, "We can learn from existing cases."
Oman has maintained that simply imposing a toll on ships that only transit the strait is not permitted under international law. However, it takes the position that the expense burden for navigational safety and maritime service provision is a separate matter.
Iran, by contrast, argues that the service fee should be mandatory. Mehdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Iran's negotiating team with the United States, recently said on social media, "Whether it is called a toll or a security service fee does not matter," adding, "There is no free service anywhere in the world."
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, also said in a state TV interview the day before that while reaching agreement on establishing a joint management framework with Oman is the top priority, Iran would proceed on its own if no agreement is reached.
The United States strongly opposes imposing an expense on the use of the Strait of Hormuz, regardless of what it is called.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned in May that he would "bomb" if Oman imposed a toll after reports that Oman and Iran were discussing imposing a strait toll.
The U.S. negotiating team has received Oman's proposal and is reportedly planning to discuss its concerns with the Omani side. However, the NYT said the U.S. government expects that, given the countries' strategic relationships, differences can be reconciled through working-level talks.
Under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end hostilities that the United States and Iran signed this month, free passage for merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz is guaranteed for 60 days while talks are underway. The subsequent operating method is to be decided through consultations between Iran and Oman.
Vice Minister Gharibabadi said discussions with Oman on how to operate the strait will begin next week and noted that imposing a service fee and adjusting existing routes would also be on the negotiating agenda.
European countries hold a negative view of the plan to impose a service fee, but are said to be focusing less on blocking it and more on ensuring the system is run in a manner consistent with international law.
Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), had previously taken a negative view of tolls that restrict freedom of navigation in international waterways, but recently offered a somewhat more flexible stance by suggesting that a voluntary fund for the Strait of Hormuz could be possible.