Iran demands Hormuz control rights as 60-day fee waiver ticks down

Senior Iranian officials told Reuters on July 1 that the country will not agree to any peace deal that fails to recognize its right to control the Strait of Hormuz and charge ships for crossing it.

Two sources familiar with the talks said Tehran's negotiators in Doha have one precondition: formal US acceptance of Iran's administrative authority over the waterway. According to those sources, they won't move to other items on the agenda until that is settled.

The clock is already running. Under the June 17 memorandum that ended the three-month US-Iran conflict, Iran agreed to let ships cross the strait toll-free for 60 days. That window closes around mid-August. If talks stall and no extension is reached, Iran says it will start charging "service fees" for passage, though it has not published a fee schedule.

Trump said on July 1 there would be no tolls for Hormuz passage unless Washington chose to impose them itself. Secretary of State Rubio said no country has the right to impose fees or block transit through an international waterway.

Shipping through the strait is recovering slowly since the June 17 deal. Ship counts have risen from near zero, but they are still well below the hundred-plus daily crossings recorded before the war began in late February. LNG and fertilizer flows have not resumed. Crude oil is moving only in isolated shipments. Agricultural goods are starting to come through again.

US and Iranian officials opened indirect technical talks in Doha on July 1. Qatar and Pakistan are mediating. The main items on the table are the strait's future administration, Iran's frozen assets, and the Lebanon ceasefire.