US, Iran give conflicting claims over Hormuz fees
Skip next section Rubio in UAE, says no country will be allowed to charge tolls in Hormuz 06/23/2026 June 23, 2026 Rubio in UAE, says
Skip next section Rubio in UAE, says no country will be allowed to charge tolls in Hormuz 06/23/2026 June 23, 2026 Rubio in UAE, says no country will be allowed to charge tolls in Hormuz Rubio is making his first trip to the Gulf region since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding Image: Eric Lee/REUTERS US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in the United Arab Emirates, kicking off a series of meetings with US Gulf allies. The trip is focusing on the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and is seen as providing a chance for Rubio to listen to concerns about the deal from Gulf Arab leaders.
He landed in Abu Dhabi where he will meet with Emirati leaders, before heading to Kuwait and Bahrain. After arriving in the UAE, Rubio said the US would not accept any tolls or fees in the Strait of Hormuz, reiterating that any final deal with Tehran would forbid Iran from charging for passage. "It's an international waterway. No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That's existing international law," Rubio said. "I don't think we have anybody to convince around here in that regard.
I think all the countries in this region would agree with us.," he added. Rubio's comments come after Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Tuesday told Iranian state media that "everyone should know that the administration of the Strait of Hormuz will never go back to the way it was before the war." Also on Tuesday, Iran and Oman said they would explore how navigation in the Strait of Hormuz should be "administered," including related services and charges. Iran has repeatedly indicated it wants to introduce a system of what it calls "maritime fees" for the Strait after a two-month negotiation period with the US expires.
The MoU says that Tehran will allow the passage of shipping without tolls for 60 days only.
The BriefWire