March 24, 2026
“Collecting $2 million as transit fees from some vessels crossing the strait reflects Iran’s strength,” Boroujerdi told the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), adding that “war has costs.”
Boroujerdi, a member of parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said the toll reflects Tehran’s assertion of control after decades of established norms governing the passage, norms now upended by the US-Israeli attack on Iran.
Payments are reportedly being requested on an ad hoc basis, with some ships already complying, effectively creating an informal toll system on one of the world’s most critical energy corridors.
The mechanism remains unclear, including how payments are processed and in what currency, as officials familiar with the matter say the system is not yet standardized.
Iranian officials say the measure is part of a broader wartime approach, linking the fees directly to the financial burden of ongoing military escalation and disruptions to maritime security.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said the strait remains open, but only for countries deemed non-hostile, warning that access is conditional under current conditions.
Maritime traffic through the strait has already slowed to a trickle, with US–Israeli attacks on Iran and subsequent retaliatory strikes, vessel incidents, surging insurance costs, and escalating security risks disrupting tanker flows and deterring transit.
Iran says the is allowing passage for non-aggressor states while restricting vessels linked to countries involved in attacks, with officials offering coordinated safe transit and confirming that several nations’ vessels continue to pass under Iranian supervision.
So far, at least 5 countries, including China, India, Turkiye, Pakistan, and Thailand, have directly coordinated or negotiated with Iranian authorities for safe transit, with Iran extending the invitation for safe transit to a number of other countries.
Saudi Arabia, UAE 'inching
toward' joining US-Israeli war on Iran: Report
Western media has also reported that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince is lobbying Washington against ending the war on Iran
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other Gulf governments are considering joining the US-Israeli war on Iran directly, hoping they can establish “deterrence” and “punish” Tehran after its heavy retaliatory strikes on Washington’s military bases in regional states, sources told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on 23 March.
“The leaders of Gulf states, particularly the UAE and Saudi Arabia, are pressing [US President Donald] Trump in regular phone conversations to finish the job and destroy Iran’s military capabilities before moving on,” Arab officials said to WSJ.
“The moves also are convincing Arab states they might need to deliver some punishment to re-establish deterrence,” other sources said.
“The Gulf states are unified in their anger with Iran,” the officials went on to say, “But they are also angry at the realization they aren’t able to exert much influence on the Trump administration’s decisions despite being security partners and investing heavily in the relationship,” they added.
Sources also said Riyadh has “recently agreed to let American forces use its King Fahd Air Base on the western side of the Arabian Peninsula,” confirming a recent Middle East Eye (MEE) report which said the same thing.
“Mohammed bin Salman is now eager to re-establish deterrence and is close to a decision to join the attacks. It is only a matter of time before the kingdom enters the war,” WSJ’s sources said.
A new report by the New York Times (NYT) has also said that Saudi Arabia is lobbying Washington against ending the war on Iran. According to a report, the crown prince is pushing for regime change in the Islamic Republic, has signaled support for strikes on Tehran’s energy infrastructure, and is even advocating for a US ground invasion.
Gulf states have used increasingly tough rhetoric since Iran’s retaliation began. “Saudi Arabia’s patience with Iranian attacks is not unlimited. Any belief that Gulf countries are incapable of responding is a miscalculation,” Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said last week.
Yet Oman, the leading mediator between Tehran and Washington, has maintained positive ties with Iran.
“Whatever your view of Iran, this war is not of their making,” Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidy said this week. “This is already causing widespread economic problems, and I fear they promise to get much worse if the war continues. Oman is working intensively to put in place safe passage arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz,” he added.
Last week, Al-Busaidy wrote in The Economist that Iran’s “retaliation against what it claims are American targets on the territory of its neighbors was an inevitable, if deeply regrettable and completely unacceptable, result.”
“Faced with what both Israel and America described as a war designed to terminate the Islamic Republic, this was probably the only rational option available to the Iranian leadership,” he said.
Tehran has continued its massive and unprecedented campaign of retaliatory strikes on Israel as well as US military assets across the region. Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz to Washington and its allies, and has targeted vessels that attempt to cross in violation of its warnings.
Among the US military targets that have been battered by Iranian drone and missile attacks is the Fifth Fleet Base in Bahrain.
Iranian forces struck several major energy facilities across the Gulf last week: the Ras Laffan site in Qatar, Habshan Gas Facility in the UAE, and SAMREF Refinery in Saudi Arabia – responding to a US-Israeli attack on its South Pars Gas Field.
US-Israeli strikes reportedly targeted a major power site in Isfahan on 23 March, after the expiry of Trump’s 48-hour deadline. Damage was said to have taken place, although the aftermath of the attack is not entirely clear.
Iran has vowed that major attacks on its power and energy infrastructure will be met with the destruction of all US and Israeli-linked oil and gas in the region.
The purchase signals a limited return of Iranian oil to global markets under Iran’s safe passage initiatives and Washington’s short-term waiver.
According to Reuters, the cargo was bought from the National Iranian Oil Company, with one source saying it was priced at a premium of about $7 per barrel above ICE Brent futures – yet, delivery timing remains unclear.
The deal marks India’s first confirmed purchase of Iranian crude since May 2019, when imports were halted after US sanctions were reimposed on Tehran.
It also comes after Indian refiners secured more than 40 million barrels of Russian crude earlier this month under similar easing measures, as several Asian refiners assess whether they can make similar purchases.
The transaction follows a 30-day waiver issued by the US allowing purchases of Iranian oil that is allegedly already at sea, and applies to shipments loaded on or before 20 March and discharged by 19 April.
Iran has rejected US claims that it holds large volumes of crude at sea, calling them a “psychological ploy” to influence markets, and insisting it has no surplus oil available for release.
Iranian officials say the waterway remains open to all shipping except vessels linked to “enemy states,” specifically those involved in the war against Iran, signaling it is willing to coordinate safe passage for countries it does not consider hostile – such as Japan – if they engage directly.
Meanwhile, shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz points to coordinated transit arrangements with Tehran.
A Chinese-owned tanker, the Bright Gold, sailed through the strait via a channel between Qeshm and Larak islands, a route previously used by vessels operating with Iranian approval.
Two India-flagged gas carriers also passed through the same corridor after New Delhi confirmed discussions with Tehran on safe passage.
Iranian authorities likewise allowed a Turkish-owned ship to pass through the Strait of Hormuz on 13 March.
A senior executive at China’s Sinopec said the company does not intend to purchase Iranian oil, despite other Asian refiners assessing potential deals.
Reliance did not respond to requests for comment, while Iranian oil authorities could not be reached, Reuters reported.
Analysts say recent market shifts are already reshaping Iran’s oil revenues and export conditions.
Trita Parsi, executive vice president at the Quincy Institute, cited an energy industry source in Iran as describing a sharp shift in output and pricing.
“Before the war, Iran produced just shy of 1.1 million barrels of oil per day … Today, it produces 1.5 million barrels a day, and sells it at $110 with only a $2–4 discount,” Parsi said, while also noting expanded petrochemical sales and new payment channels that bypass the UAE.
He concluded that “Trump and Israel's war has ended up delivering Iran de facto sanctions relief,” adding this leaves Tehran “all the less incentivized to end the war” without formal sanctions relief.
Several countries are
coordinating directly with Tehran for safe passage as the US-Israeli war drags
on for a fourth week
Iranian lawmaker Alaeddin
Boroujerdi revealed on 22 March that Tehran has begun charging transit fees of
up to $2 million for some vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz, describing the
move as a shift toward a new “sovereign regime” over the strategic waterway.
“Collecting $2 million as transit fees from some vessels crossing the strait reflects Iran’s strength,” Boroujerdi told the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), adding that “war has costs.”
Boroujerdi, a member of parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said the toll reflects Tehran’s assertion of control after decades of established norms governing the passage, norms now upended by the US-Israeli attack on Iran.
Payments are reportedly being requested on an ad hoc basis, with some ships already complying, effectively creating an informal toll system on one of the world’s most critical energy corridors.
The mechanism remains unclear, including how payments are processed and in what currency, as officials familiar with the matter say the system is not yet standardized.
Iranian officials say the measure is part of a broader wartime approach, linking the fees directly to the financial burden of ongoing military escalation and disruptions to maritime security.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said the strait remains open, but only for countries deemed non-hostile, warning that access is conditional under current conditions.
Maritime traffic through the strait has already slowed to a trickle, with US–Israeli attacks on Iran and subsequent retaliatory strikes, vessel incidents, surging insurance costs, and escalating security risks disrupting tanker flows and deterring transit.
Iran says the is allowing passage for non-aggressor states while restricting vessels linked to countries involved in attacks, with officials offering coordinated safe transit and confirming that several nations’ vessels continue to pass under Iranian supervision.
So far, at least 5 countries, including China, India, Turkiye, Pakistan, and Thailand, have directly coordinated or negotiated with Iranian authorities for safe transit, with Iran extending the invitation for safe transit to a number of other countries.
Western media has also reported that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince is lobbying Washington against ending the war on Iran
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other Gulf governments are considering joining the US-Israeli war on Iran directly, hoping they can establish “deterrence” and “punish” Tehran after its heavy retaliatory strikes on Washington’s military bases in regional states, sources told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on 23 March.
Western media has also reported
that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince is lobbying Washington against ending the war
on Iran
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other
Gulf governments are considering joining the US-Israeli war on Iran directly,
hoping they can establish “deterrence” and “punish” Tehran after its heavy
retaliatory strikes on Washington’s military bases in regional states, sources
told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on 23 March.“The leaders of Gulf states, particularly the UAE and Saudi Arabia, are pressing [US President Donald] Trump in regular phone conversations to finish the job and destroy Iran’s military capabilities before moving on,” Arab officials said to WSJ.
“The moves also are convincing Arab states they might need to deliver some punishment to re-establish deterrence,” other sources said.
“The Gulf states are unified in their anger with Iran,” the officials went on to say, “But they are also angry at the realization they aren’t able to exert much influence on the Trump administration’s decisions despite being security partners and investing heavily in the relationship,” they added.
Sources also said Riyadh has “recently agreed to let American forces use its King Fahd Air Base on the western side of the Arabian Peninsula,” confirming a recent Middle East Eye (MEE) report which said the same thing.
“Mohammed bin Salman is now eager to re-establish deterrence and is close to a decision to join the attacks. It is only a matter of time before the kingdom enters the war,” WSJ’s sources said.
A new report by the New York Times (NYT) has also said that Saudi Arabia is lobbying Washington against ending the war on Iran. According to a report, the crown prince is pushing for regime change in the Islamic Republic, has signaled support for strikes on Tehran’s energy infrastructure, and is even advocating for a US ground invasion.
Gulf states have used increasingly tough rhetoric since Iran’s retaliation began. “Saudi Arabia’s patience with Iranian attacks is not unlimited. Any belief that Gulf countries are incapable of responding is a miscalculation,” Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said last week.
Yet Oman, the leading mediator between Tehran and Washington, has maintained positive ties with Iran.
“Whatever your view of Iran, this war is not of their making,” Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidy said this week. “This is already causing widespread economic problems, and I fear they promise to get much worse if the war continues. Oman is working intensively to put in place safe passage arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz,” he added.
Last week, Al-Busaidy wrote in The Economist that Iran’s “retaliation against what it claims are American targets on the territory of its neighbors was an inevitable, if deeply regrettable and completely unacceptable, result.”
“Faced with what both Israel and America described as a war designed to terminate the Islamic Republic, this was probably the only rational option available to the Iranian leadership,” he said.
Tehran has continued its massive and unprecedented campaign of retaliatory strikes on Israel as well as US military assets across the region. Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz to Washington and its allies, and has targeted vessels that attempt to cross in violation of its warnings.
Among the US military targets that have been battered by Iranian drone and missile attacks is the Fifth Fleet Base in Bahrain.
Iranian forces struck several major energy facilities across the Gulf last week: the Ras Laffan site in Qatar, Habshan Gas Facility in the UAE, and SAMREF Refinery in Saudi Arabia – responding to a US-Israeli attack on its South Pars Gas Field.
US-Israeli strikes reportedly targeted a major power site in Isfahan on 23 March, after the expiry of Trump’s 48-hour deadline. Damage was said to have taken place, although the aftermath of the attack is not entirely clear.
Iran has vowed that major attacks on its power and energy infrastructure will be met with the destruction of all US and Israeli-linked oil and gas in the region.
Analysts say the US-Israeli war
on Iran has effectively delivered the country ‘de facto sanctions relief’ as a
temporary US waiver enables limited crude purchases
India’s Reliance Industries has
purchased five million barrels of Iranian crude following a temporary US
sanctions waiver, Reuters reported on 24 March, citing three sources familiar
with the transaction.The purchase signals a limited return of Iranian oil to global markets under Iran’s safe passage initiatives and Washington’s short-term waiver.
According to Reuters, the cargo was bought from the National Iranian Oil Company, with one source saying it was priced at a premium of about $7 per barrel above ICE Brent futures – yet, delivery timing remains unclear.
The deal marks India’s first confirmed purchase of Iranian crude since May 2019, when imports were halted after US sanctions were reimposed on Tehran.
It also comes after Indian refiners secured more than 40 million barrels of Russian crude earlier this month under similar easing measures, as several Asian refiners assess whether they can make similar purchases.
The transaction follows a 30-day waiver issued by the US allowing purchases of Iranian oil that is allegedly already at sea, and applies to shipments loaded on or before 20 March and discharged by 19 April.
Iran has rejected US claims that it holds large volumes of crude at sea, calling them a “psychological ploy” to influence markets, and insisting it has no surplus oil available for release.
Iranian officials say the waterway remains open to all shipping except vessels linked to “enemy states,” specifically those involved in the war against Iran, signaling it is willing to coordinate safe passage for countries it does not consider hostile – such as Japan – if they engage directly.
Meanwhile, shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz points to coordinated transit arrangements with Tehran.
A Chinese-owned tanker, the Bright Gold, sailed through the strait via a channel between Qeshm and Larak islands, a route previously used by vessels operating with Iranian approval.
Two India-flagged gas carriers also passed through the same corridor after New Delhi confirmed discussions with Tehran on safe passage.
Iranian authorities likewise allowed a Turkish-owned ship to pass through the Strait of Hormuz on 13 March.
A senior executive at China’s Sinopec said the company does not intend to purchase Iranian oil, despite other Asian refiners assessing potential deals.
Reliance did not respond to requests for comment, while Iranian oil authorities could not be reached, Reuters reported.
Analysts say recent market shifts are already reshaping Iran’s oil revenues and export conditions.
Trita Parsi, executive vice president at the Quincy Institute, cited an energy industry source in Iran as describing a sharp shift in output and pricing.
“Before the war, Iran produced just shy of 1.1 million barrels of oil per day … Today, it produces 1.5 million barrels a day, and sells it at $110 with only a $2–4 discount,” Parsi said, while also noting expanded petrochemical sales and new payment channels that bypass the UAE.
He concluded that “Trump and Israel's war has ended up delivering Iran de facto sanctions relief,” adding this leaves Tehran “all the less incentivized to end the war” without formal sanctions relief.
No comments:
Post a Comment