- US Rejects Future Charges on Strait of Hormuz.
- Washington seeks agreement without compromising regional stability.
- Technical-level talks between Iran and the US will resume in the coming days.
Top US diplomat Marco Rubio warned on Thursday that a deal with Iran would not come at any price as he sought to reassure Gulf allies that any deal would not undermine their security.
Rubio was in Bahrain as part of a regional tour of Gulf partners hit hard by Iran in the Middle East war, which began on February 28 with a massive US-Israeli attack campaign against the Islamic Republic.
The United States and Iran have signed a tentative agreement to end the conflict, moving into talks expected to touch on difficult issues including Tehran’s nuclear program, sanctions and global energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
“While we want a deal, we don’t want a deal at any cost,” Rubio told a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Bahrain.
“We want to ensure… that no part of this agreement is entered into that in any way undermines the security, stability or prosperity of any of our partners in the Gulf region.”
Hormuz fees
Rubio also sought to reassure the energy-rich Gulf that the Strait of Hormuz, which they have relied on for decades to export oil and liquefied natural gas, would remain toll-free.
Iran imposed a blockade of Hormuz during the war as part of its retaliation against the US-Israeli campaign, triggering a global economic shock.
It has since said it plans to introduce what it terms maritime service charges, with the Revolutionary Guard warning on Thursday that any unauthorized passage would be “dealt with”.
The US and its allies have flatly rejected the introduction of fees or tolls, with Rubio echoing Washington’s position that Hormuz should be considered an international waterway and therefore not subject to tolls.
“International waterways do not belong to any nation-state. This is a fundamental principle in the world today, without which the world would be in total chaos,” he said.
Hormuz is a narrow stretch between Iran and Oman that leads to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean, making it a choke point for important energy shipments out of the Gulf.
At Thursday’s Gulf meeting with Rubio, Oman’s top diplomat Badr Albusaidi said plans for Hormuz “do not involve the imposition of transit fees” – despite his government and Iran saying on Tuesday they were studying costs to be charged for services provided in the strait.
On Wednesday, Oman released a map of a new temporary shipping route that runs close to the country’s coast. It said the path through the strait was coordinated with the International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency responsible for maritime safety.
Iran later appeared to condemn the new corridor in a Revolutionary Guards statement, but did not specifically refer to Oman.
The memorandum of understanding, signed last week by Tehran and Washington, stipulated that commercial ships can sail through the strait for free for the next 60 days.
It is unclear what arrangements will be in place after that period.
‘Declaration of America’s Defeat’
Iran has emerged bravely from the war and has vowed not to relinquish control of Hormuz, calling its initial agreement with Washington to end the fighting “a declaration of US defeat”.
President Donald Trump met with Nato chief Mark Rutte at the White House on Wednesday and said the US was “doing well” in the talks.
Trump also asked Congress for nearly $88 billion in additional funding, mostly to cover the costs of the war, just a day after Congress called on him to end the conflict unless lawmakers specifically authorize further military action.
Iran criticized Nato on Thursday after Rutte noted his support for the US, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei accusing the transatlantic bloc of “complicity” in an “illegal war”.
Rubio and mediator Pakistan said technical talks between the US and Iran are expected to resume in the coming days after a first round in Switzerland.
A diplomat, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said separate talks on reconciliation between the Gulf countries and Iran were expected to be held in Saudi Arabia, although they did not specify a date.
