Charging for Hormuz

IRAN is seeking to recalibrate its control over the Strait of Hormuz by regulating maritime traffic and establishing a ‘smart management’ system that includes passage fees for vessels traversing the strait. The principal treaty governing these matters is the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which establishes the legal framework applicable to passage through international straits. It recognises two principal regimes: innocent passage and transit passage. Under UNCLOS, innocent passage is defined as passage that is “not prejudicial to the peace, good order, or security of the coastal State”. Activities that render passage non-innocent, expressly include any threat or…