More details are awaited after US President Donald Trump said in a post that Washington was reinstating a naval blockade on Iran and would be reimbursed 20 percent on all cargo shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, the UN’s shipping agency said on Monday.
– “We are aware of the post and awaiting more details,” a spokesperson with the UN’s International Maritime Organization said.
– “We have always been consistent on our stance on fees – IMO stands firmly against charging fees for passage through straits used for international navigation. There is no legal basis through which to introduce mandatory tolls simply to transit through a strait.”
– Trump said in a Truth Social post the process would begin immediately, but did not elaborate.
– Shipping industry officials expressed concern at the latest development, adding that such a move in their assessment would violate international law.
– “How is this going to make it safer to sail through and what guarantees will this give?” one official, who declined to be identified, said of Trump’s post.