Gulf council accuses Iran of charging ships to transit Strait of Hormuz

The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council has accused Iran of "charging fees" to guarantee ships safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi leads the bloc of six Gulf Arab nations which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

About 20 to 25 per cent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes through the waterway. But it has been de facto blockaded by Tehran since the US and Israel began their war on Iran almost four weeks ago.

"Iran's destabilising behaviour in the Arabian Gulf has exceeded all limits, as it has closed the Strait of Hormuz, preventing the passage of commercial ships and oil tankers, and imposed fees for crossing the strait,” he said.

Budaiwi described the blockade as **“**a blatant violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea”.

It guarantees "unimpeded" transit passage for international shipping. Although Tehran has not ratified this text, the rules fall under customary international law and apply to all states.

He is the first top regional official to accuse Iran of charging a toll in the crucial shipping lane located between Iran on the one side and Oman and the United Arab Emirates on the other.

It is being reported that payments of as much as $2 million per voyage are being sought from some vessels on an informal and case-by-case basis.

Only a small number of vessels have transited through the waterway since the broader regional conflict began.