The United States has proposed that Iran abandon its plan to levy fees on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the release of a portion of its approximately $100 billion in frozen assets abroad.
According to sea-news.az this was reported by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing its own sources.
According to the publication, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of Donald Trump, visited Doha this week to participate in meetings facilitated by Qatar. The parties discussed the implementation of an agreement reached last month regarding keeping the Strait of Hormuz open. According to the newspaper’s sources, the situation in Lebanon was also a topic of discussion during the meetings.
Following the talks, Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, stated that the Strait of Hormuz is under Iranian command, not the United States’.
Subsequently, Iranian military officials warned that any vessel moving along a route not coordinated with Tehran would face an immediate and forceful response.
According to WSJ, Tehran plans to collect payments from all vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, justifying the move as a means to cover the costs of ensuring maritime security. According to Iranian calculations, this scheme could generate approximately $40 billion in revenue for the country annually. However, the United States and Gulf countries remain firmly opposed to this initiative.
