UN maritime agency rejects Trump’s 20% Strait of Hormuz fee
Why it matters: Shipping officials and legal experts say tolls for transit through the strait have no basis in international law.
The UN’s International Maritime Organization pushed back after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would charge ships 20% of cargo value to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while the Navy protects traffic and reinstates a blockade on Iranian ships. The agency said it opposes fees for passage through straits used for international navigation and sees no legal basis for mandatory tolls. Shipping executives also questioned whether the charge is workable. The dispute comes as security in Hormuz worsens after attacks on commercial vessels, with Iran pressing ships to use a northern route through its waters and the U.S. Navy guiding traffic through a southern corridor near Oman.