The European Commission has officially rejected a controversial proposal to charge commercial vessels for passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The EU stated that any mandatory toll systems for this critical shipping lane violate established international maritime law.
The response follows a recent proposal by Donald Trump to create a “joint venture” with Iran that would introduce a pay-to-pass system in the strait. While White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt noted that the primary focus is reopening the waterway without restrictions, the toll concept remains under discussion.
An EU Commission spokesperson clarified that international law guarantees freedom of navigation, meaning ships cannot be legally required to pay tolls to transit shared global passages like the Strait of Hormuz.
Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), countries are prohibited from charging ships simply for transiting a strait.
Fees are only legally permissible if specific services such as port usage or direct maintenance are rendered. While neither the US nor Iran are official signatories to UNCLOS, its frameworks are globally recognized as standard international practice.
Consequently, the EU deemed both the proposed US-Iran joint venture and Iran’s independent toll systems unacceptable.
The operational situation in the Strait of Hormuz remains highly restricted. Following a brief ceasefire earlier this week, the waterway was closed again after Israel initiated fresh strikes on Lebanon. Iran claimed this violated the ceasefire agreement, an assertion the White House disputes.
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The disruption has severely impacted global supply chains and energy markets:
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Stranded Tonnage: Approximately 2,000 commercial ships and 20,000 seafarers are currently trapped in the Persian Gulf.
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Unauthorized Fees: Iran is reportedly demanding $1 per barrel of oil for vessels attempting to transit. These payments are being requested in Chinese yuan or cryptocurrency to bypass Western financial networks.
Despite condemning the tolls, the European Commission stated that the final decision on whether to pay these fees rests entirely with individual shipowners and operating companies, who must weigh their own commercial risks and business interests.