IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez at the opening of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) 2nd extraordinary session, 14-17 October, 2025. Photo courtesy IMO
LONDON, April 9 (Reuters) – Imposing a toll on ships sailing through the critical Strait of Hormuz would “set a dangerous precedent” and countries should not impede freedom of navigation, the UN’s shipping agency said on Thursday.
Iranian officials have raised the idea of charging a toll for using the Strait after a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Tehran was agreed this week.
“There is no international agreement where tolls can be introduced for transiting international straits. Any such toll will set a dangerous precedent,” a spokesperson with the UN’s International Maritime Organization said.
IMO countries adopted the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas, or UNCLOS, which outlines the rules that govern straits used for international navigation.
“According to UNCLOS, ships enjoy the right of transit passage through international straits. States bordering straits shall not hamper that right or suspend the transit passage,” the IMO spokesperson said.
(Reporting by Jonathan Saul; editing by Barbara Lewis)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025.Updated: May 27, 2026 (Originally published April 9, 2026)
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