Iran has created a new government agency responsible for approving passages through the Strait of Hormuz and collecting navigation fees, the trade journal Lloyd’s List reported.
A crossing point through which a fifth of the world’s hydrocarbons usually transit, Hormuz has become a major source of tensions since the start of the war in the Middle East, triggered by the Israeli-American attack on Iran on February 28.
Despite a ceasefire that came into effect on April 8, the situation there remains very conflictual, with Iran blocking the strait and the United States imposing a blockade of Iranian ports.
Several incidents have taken place there in recent days, at a time when Washington is seeking to conclude an agreement with Tehran to put a lasting end to the war and obtain a resumption of traffic in Hormuz.
Provide documents and itinerary
“Iran has established a new Persian Gulf Straits Authority (PGSA) to approve ship transits and collect passage fees through the Strait of Hormuz,” Lloyd’s List reported.
According to this source, citing the authority’s form, ships are required to provide detailed information on their ownership, insurance, crew members and their planned transit route.
The PGSA presents itself, according to Lloyd’s List, as the only authority authorized to grant authorizations to ships transiting the strait.
On Tuesday, Iran’s English-language channel Press TV said Iran had established a “system to exercise sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz” and that ships transiting the strait were receiving “instructions” by email.
On April 23, a senior official in the Iranian Parliament announced that Tehran had received its first revenues from the passage rights it established across the strait. The United States nor the international community have yet reacted.