Iran Deal Opens Door To Iranian Tolls In Strait Of Hormuz

While the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding (MOU) guarantees immediate toll-free passage through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days, the agreement leaves the waterway’s long-term status in the hands of Iran, Oman, and other Gulf states.

The issue surfaced Wednesday during a call with reporters as administration officials walked through the text of the agreement and defended its provisions governing the strategic shipping lane.

Paragraph 5 of the MOU states that Iran will provide for the “safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge” for 60 days following the signing of the agreement. The same section, however, goes on to state that “the Islamic Republic of Iran will conduct dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman to define the future administration and maritime services of the Strait of Hormuz in discussion with other Persian Gulf littoral states.”

The language means that after the initial 60-day period, the future administration of the Strait of Hormuz will be negotiated by Iran, Oman, and other Gulf states — placing Tehran at the table with governments that it repeatedly bombed throughout the war despite those countries generally not firing back.

Before the conflict, the Strait of Hormuz carried approximately 20% of the world’s oil consumption and roughly one-third of all seaborne crude oil shipments, making it one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints.

During the call, a senior Trump administration official said there isn’t concern tolls will be charged because Gulf governments would not agree to such an arrangement.

“And of course, I’m sure the Iranians will assert their rights as aggressively as they can,” the official said. “But fundamentally toll-free passage of the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days, and that will continue because the Persian Gulf States will never agree to an arrangement that doesn’t permit toll-free access to the Strait of Hormuz for themselves and their industries.”

By leaving the issue to future regional negotiations, the agreement effectively shifts responsibility for preserving toll-free access onto Gulf governments rather than the United States. 

Critics are likely to argue that this approach could leave those countries negotiating from a position of weakness after a conflict in which Iran demonstrated its ability to disrupt their economies and commercial shipping without triggering a direct regional military response, potentially allowing Tehran to emerge with greater influence over one of the world’s most important trade routes than it had before Operation Epic Fury.

Throughout the conflict, Iran repeatedly sought to establish control over shipping through the waterway. Iranian officials argued that the Strait of Hormuz falls under the authority of Iran and Oman as the coastal states bordering the passage. 

Tehran also deployed naval mines in and around the strait, nearly halting commercial traffic and drawing international concern over freedom of navigation through the waterway.

The administration now argues that those threats are subsiding as part of the agreement. 

The senior official noted that commercial traffic moved through the Strait of Hormuz without Iranian interference on Tuesday, after roughly 100 days of threats and disruptions to shipping in the region. The official described the development as evidence that Tehran has begun complying with the agreement even before Friday’s planned signing ceremony in Switzerland.

“Even before the formal signing ceremony on Friday, we see Iran actually ceasing its efforts to cut off traffic from the Strait of Hormuz,” the official said.

The agreement also outlines a broader rollback of U.S. military and naval measures imposed during the conflict. Under the MOU, the United States will begin removing its naval blockade immediately upon signing and will fully end it within 30 days. The agreement further states that commercial shipping volumes will gradually return to pre-war levels during that period.

Another provision calls for the United States to remove forces from the vicinity of Iran within 30 days of a final agreement.

A senior administration official said the provision is intended to restore the U.S. military posture that existed before the conflict began.

“What we’re saying is that after 30 days, or within 30 days after the final deal — meaning assuming we get to the final deal, we may not — but assuming we get to the final deal, then we will return our force posture in the region to that which existed before the conflict started,” the official said.

The official also pointed to lower oil prices as evidence that markets are responding positively to the agreement and to the restoration of commercial shipping through the waterway.