Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Tuesday criticised US President Donald Trump‘s proposal to impose a 20 per cent charge on commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, mocking Washington as a „pirate“ state.
His remarks came after Trump announced that the US would reinstate what he called the „Iranian blockade“ and begin charging vessels for securing one of the world‘s busiest shipping lanes.
The strait was open before the US and Israel joined forces to wage war on Iran, only to have that nation slam it shut. Some vessels got through during the ceasefire, with Iran charging $3 million for a fully loaded supertanker to transit the strait.
Trump’s threatened toll would jack that cost up to $69 million.
President Donald Trump on Monday said the U.S. will impose fees in the Strait of Hormuz “at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped,” after declaring America the “guardian” of the major oil shipping route.
President Trump announced on Monday that the U.S. is reinstating the naval blockade on Iran and will prevent any ships from leaving or entering Iranian ports. The blockade will go into effect on July 14 at 4pm ET.
Trump also claimed the U.S. would be „reimbursed“ at a rate of 20% for securing safe passage for cargo ships, though the details and seriousness of the initiative were not immediately clear.
(July 6, 2026)
This development is particularly critical given the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis. Gwadar is situated 400 km east of the strait and serves as a virtual bypass of the conflict zone, allowing Central Asian exports to reach international waters without entering the high-risk zones of the Persian Gulf.
For Pakistan, this creates a substantial economic windfall as well. By positioning itself as the primary transit state for a massive market, the country is positioning itself to secure consistent revenue through port handling, logistics, and transit fees. In the wake of the Strait of Hormuz crisis, tariff at the Gwadar port has multiplied.
He said discussions centered on current developments concerning the Strait of Hormuz, as well as future mechanisms for managing the waterway within the framework of Article 5 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
Oman‘s foreign minister Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi has said Muscat “does not support imposing transit fees” on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, while leaving the door open to charges for optional maritime services.
Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi has expressed support for Iran’s plan to impose “maritime service fees” on vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
In an interview with Monte Carlo Doualiya, published by Oman’s Foreign Ministry on Monday, al-Busaidi reaffirmed Muscat’s commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
He clarified that Oman opposes any tolls on transit passage itself. However, the minister drew a clear distinction between transit tolls and legitimate maritime, environmental, and navigational service fees, which can be discussed voluntarily with benefiting states and companies.
Oman‘s foreign minister Badr Albusaidi has said Muscat remains committed to ensuring toll-free and safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz following discussions with senior Iranian officials.
In a post on X, Albusaidi said there had been „constructive discussions on the recent Iran-US MOU, especially the Strait of Hormuz paragraph“. He added: „We affirmed commitment to international law and toll-free safe passage.“
The comments came after Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf visited Oman for talks on bilateral cooperation and regional developments.
(April 10, 2026)
Egypt and Panama charge fees to allow vessels to pass through Suez Canal and Panama Canal, respectively. This is because the international laws are different for straits and canals.
While straits occur naturally, canals are dug up manually. Hence, the countries controlling the canals take transit fee from vessels for allowing them to pass through.
At least three Iranian oil tankers and two cargo vessels have transited the Strait of Hormuz following the US announcement that it would remove its naval blockade as part of the agreement reached with Tehran, according to Iranian state-affiliated media.
Press TV reported that the vessels passed through the strategic waterway after the deal was announced, while the semi-official Fars News Agency said a very large crude carrier was among the ships heading towards Iranian ports.
The source outlined some of the changes introduced during the final one to two days and in the hours immediately preceding the announcement of the memorandum as follows:
1. The addition of the phrase “guaranteeing the sovereignty and respect for the territorial integrity of Lebanon” to Article One of the memorandum; (US President Donald Trump had not accepted the inclusion of this phrase in earlier drafts).
2. The addition of the phrase “administration of maritime navigation services in the Strait of Hormuz” by Iran and Oman to Article 5 of the memorandum;
3. Exempting vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz from paying fees for a period of 60 days;
In an interview with NBC News, Vance said: “What the deal says is that for the 60 days that we’re negotiating the final deal, there will be toll-free access in and out of the Strait of Hormuz.”
Vance dismissed reports that Iran intended to impose shipping fees, suggesting they reflected domestic political messaging rather than the terms of the agreement.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Iranian state TV on Friday that both sides were working toward signing an initial agreement declaring an end to the war „on all fronts, including Lebanon.“
Israel has been fighting the Iranian-allied militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon since early March.
“The Strait is going to be open to everybody,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “It’s international waters and Oman will behave just like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up. They understand that, they’ll be fine.”
Oman, a strategic partner of the U.S. for more than 50 years, has played a key role in efforts to mediate a peace deal between the U.S. and Iran.
(April 10, 2026)
Egypt and Panama charge fees to allow vessels to pass through Suez Canal and Panama Canal, respectively. This is because the international laws are different for straits and canals.
While straits occur naturally, canals are dug up manually. Hence, the countries controlling the canals take transit fee from vessels for allowing them to pass through.
(April 24, 2026)
“That was not in a serious context. We have never planned to collect such a tax,” Purbaya told reporters in Jakarta on Friday, putting an end to days of uncertainty.
Behind his response lies a deeper legal framework that governs the world’s oceans.
Purbaya pointed to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS, a cornerstone of international maritime law that enshrines the principle of freedom of navigation.
(April 24, 2026)
Vice president of finance Víctor Vial confirmed that while certain vessels have recently paid more than $1m to secure a crossing, such sums reflect temporary spikes in demand rather than structural pricing shifts. Before the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East, average auction prices ran between $135,000 and $140,000. That figure rose some 180% to around $385,000 between March and April as demand surged.
The canal makes three to five slots available each day through its auction mechanism, aimed at vessels that have not booked in advance.
(March 5, 2025)
But while much attention was focused on Mr. Trump‘s threat to retake control of the canal, his administration trained its sights on Hutchison Ports, the Hong Kong-based consortium that manages the canal‘s key ports, at either end of the canal. As a result of BlackRock‘s deal with CK Hutchison Holding, those two key ports will be placed under American control.
(April 8, 2026)
The legal picture is also complicated. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, bordering states cannot demand payment simply for granting passage through a strait. They may, however, impose limited charges for specific services, such as piloting, tugging, or port assistance, provided these are not applied more heavily against vessels from any particular country.
n Iranian business newspaper reported in April that reconstruction would take at least 12 years.
“The nuclear issue is honestly Betamax now,” Alan Eyre, a former member of the US team that negotiated the Iran nuclear deal, told MEE, referring to the now obsolete 1975 video cassette player.
“Everyone is talking about what the Iranians are willing to give up. But that is largely a function of what they are willing to get,” he added. „What the Iranians want is money.“
Eyre said there are four ways Iran can be compensated for a deal that reopens the Strait of Hormuz and ends with an agreement on its nuclear programme: reparations, tolling, unblocking frozen assets, and sanctions relief. Of the four, he believes a toll in the Strait of Hormuz is the likeliest path for a deal.
The President said he gave the order because Iran refused to agree not to develop nuclear weapons during talks with US officials in Pakistan on Saturday. “The meeting with Iran began early in the morning, and lasted throughout the night — Close to 20 hours,” the President wrote in a second post on Sunday. “I could go into great detail, and talk about much that has been gotten but, there is only one thing that matters — IRAN IS UNWILLING TO GIVE UP ITS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS!”
Zwar lässt Teheran seit einigen Tagen im Zuge der Waffenruhe mit den USA vermehrt Schiffe passieren – aber nur, wenn diese eine Maut entrichten. Sehr zum Unwillen von US-Präsident Donald Trump. Der erklärte nun, die Kriegsmarine seines Landes sei angewiesen, die Straße von Hormus vollständig zu blockieren. Mehr noch: Jedes Schiff, das eine Gebühr an Iran entrichtet habe und sich in internationalen Gewässern befinde, werde aufgebracht.
President Donald Trump said today the US Navy will begin blockading ships in the Strait of Hormuz and interdicting every ship that has paid a toll to Iran, after US peace talks with the country ended in a stalemate.
Trump also said the US will prevent passage for any ship that has paid a toll to Iran and will begin removing mines from the strait.
President DONALD J. TRUMP