Iran is building a “toll station” in the middle of the sea: Tehran’s double game

According to a report by the “Aram News” network, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said that the new “Strait of Hormuz Authority” will exclusively supervise the passage of merchant ships, assign shipping lanes, and impose financial fees on maritime services. Beyond that, the Authority is expected to issue transit permits only to those ships that will be defined by it as “cooperating”. Ebrahim Azizi, the chairman of the National Security Committee in the Iranian Parliament, approved the move and noted that it is a “new professional mechanism”. The move, which is intended to turn the military presence into permanent control and management while deriving a significant economic coupon, is expected to arouse great anger in Washington and the Gulf capitals, which demand to maintain the strait as an open and free international route.