CNN: Iran plans to charge for security of tankers and ships in the Persian Gulf

Iran plans to impose security duties on oil tankers and commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf belonging to US-allied countries.

CNN reports this, citing a source in Iran familiar with the plans of the countryʼs leadership.

According to the media source, the Strait of Hormuz is closed, despite US President Donald Trumpʼs statements to the contrary.

"We hold the levers for regulating world oil prices in our hands, and the US will have to wait a long time for our actions to regulate prices. Energy prices have become unstable, and we will continue to fight until Trump declares defeat," the source said.

The representative of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Sardar Naini, stated that the Iranian armed forces will not allow US partners to export "not a single liter of oil" from the region. At the same time, the IRGC assured that any European or Arab country can receive free passage through the Strait of Hormuz from March 10 if it sends ambassadors to the US and Israel.

Meanwhile, Trump threatened Iran with “20 times more severe strikes” if it cut off oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. He called his warning a gift from the United States to China and all countries that actively use the Strait of Hormuz.

What preceded

After the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, Iran responded by shelling US bases in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE and by launching missile strikes on Israel. Some Iranian drones and missiles have hit infrastructure and residential areas in Arab countries.

At the same time, tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has almost stopped. This is a narrow sea corridor between Iran and Oman, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean. About a fifth of the worldʼs oil exports pass through it — tens of millions of barrels a day. The markets reacted instantly: oil, gas and precious metals rose in price.

In particular, on March 9, world oil prices exceeded $100 per barrel for the first time in almost four years.

There is no formal blockade of the strait yet, but some shipping companies have already changed routes or suspended flights. Tanker operators do not want to expose their ships and crews to the risk of attack.

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