Unbiased AI-powered news
Oman and Iran have agreed to pursue a plan to collect voluntary service fees from ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The proposal follows the end of recent U.S.-Iran conflict and comes despite prior U.S. objections to any tolls on the waterway.
theiranproject.comOman and Iran have agreed to move forward with a plan to collect voluntary fees from ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, according to multiple reports. Oman said the proposal is modeled on fees collected for the Straits of Malacca and Singapore in Southeast Asia, where voluntary contributions support safe navigation.
Iranian officials insisted the payments would be obligatory, while one regional diplomat told The New York Times the fees would be voluntary. The plan also differs from the Malacca model in scale: the Aids to Navigation Fund operated by Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia has collected just $23 million over 15 years.
Background to the Proposal Details of the plan emerged one day after Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi expressed support for a joint plan with Iran to impose maritime service fees on the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Press TV reported. Al-Busaidi said Muscat remains opposed to Iran’s direct toll scheme but added that fees were necessary to keep navigation safe.
“Some services may include enhancing navigational safety, protecting waters from pollution, and increasing preparedness to deal with accidents or emergencies,” the minister said. The position echoes a joint statement from Tehran and Muscat last week that the governments refused to rule out collecting fees after the Trump administration publicly insisted that Tehran cannot charge tolls.
The developments could permanently change the strait, which handles the transport of 20% of the world’s oil supply. Before the U.S. and Israel launched its war with Iran, the international shipping route was free and open to the more than 130 vessels that sailed through its waters every day.
It remains unclear whether the U.S. will accept Oman’s plan to charge voluntary service fees following President Trump’s repeated insistence that the Strait of Hormuz should remain free waters for all. The president previously described any tolls or fees schemes along the strait as unacceptable and threatened Oman if it did not behave like everybody else.
These outlets didn't split into competing frames — coverage was uniform.
news.sky.comThe 70-meter embroidery will travel from Bayeux, France, for an 18-month display in London. It will be shown in one continuous length inside a glass case. The loan follows a 2025 promise by French President Emmanuel Macron.
winnipegfreepress.comMore than 2,000 protesters marched through Durban on June 30 after weeks of violence that killed at least four people. Tens of thousands of migrants fled homes or were repatriated ahead of the protests.
A fire broke out Wednesday morning on the eighth floor of a 10-storey building in Antwerp's Linkeroever neighborhood. Several people were killed and many injured, with more than 200 residents affected by the blaze.