Oman Backs Iran’s ‘Service Fee’ Plan for Hormuz
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Oman Backs Iran’s ‘Service Fee’ Plan for Hormuz
Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi laid out the Sultanate’s position on the Strait of Hormuz in an interview with Monte Carlo Doualiya, published by the foreign ministry, lending weight to the legal framework Iran has proposed for charging ships.
FM Al-Busaidi said Oman opposes tolls on transit itself, which he said are “prohibited” under international law, but drew a “clear distinction between transit fees and maritime, environmental, and navigational services that may be discussed voluntarily with the benefiting states and companies,” the same distinction Iran has invoked to justify proposed “service fees.”
He also said responsibility for clearing the roughly 80 mines and securing shipping lanes rests primarily with Iran under the memorandum, while Oman is contributing through regional and international efforts.
“The foreign minister explained that such services may include enhancing navigational safety, protecting waters from pollution, and improving preparedness to respond to accidents or emergencies, noting that existing models such as the Strait of Malacca and Singapore could be drawn upon.”
He said Oman and Iran agree any future arrangements for the Strait will remain within international law and the rights of the coastal states.
The remarks align Oman more closely with Iran’s legal interpretation of the proposed charges than with Washington’s position that no fees should be imposed on passage through an international waterway. The dispute over “service fees” has become one of the central issues to the US-Iran talks that U.S. says are resuming Tuesday in Doha.
posted by Satish Sharma at
02:05
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