LONDON: Iran has created an authority to approve transit through the Strait of Hormuz and to collect tolls from vessels, a shipping journal said Friday, even as Washington pushed for a deal to reopen the strategic waterway that Tehran has closed.
“The Persian Gulf Strait Authority has already introduced a new framework requiring ships to obtain transit authorisation and pay tolls before sailing,” said Lloyd’s List, the industry journal which provides news and intelligence on shipping and maritime trade.
It added that “ships are required to submit detailed records of ownership, insurance, crew details and intended transit route”, citing a form sent by the authority.
READ MORE: Iran official says Tehran receives first revenue from Strait of Hormuz tolls
On Tuesday, Iranian English-speaking broadcaster Press TV said Iran had built a “system to exercise sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz” and that ships passing through the strait were sent “regulations” from the email info@ PGSA.ir.
The new mechanism comes as US President Donald Trump paused a short-lived operation seeking to force open the Strait of Hormuz to merchant ships, citing hopes that a deal with Iran was imminent.
Tehran has choked the vital waterway, through which a fifth of the world’s oil normally passes, since the start of the Middle East war in late February.
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