Toll or Service Fee? The Distinction the Hormuz Deal Now Turns On
As the US-Iran deal nears signature, its Hormuz provisions turn on the exact distinction this site opened with: a prohibited transit toll versus a permitted services fee. The MOU reopens the strait ‘without tolls’; Iran says it will charge for ‘services provided.’ Both are true under UNCLOS Article 26. This post reads where the line actually falls, and why Iran’s relabelling concedes the principle without yet meeting the substance.