Iran says China will receive special consideration on Strait of Hormuz transit fees
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Iran's ambassador to China has said Beijing and other friendly countries will receive "special considerations" when Tehran decides the structure of service fees for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking at the World Peace Forum in Beijing on Saturday, Ambassador Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said the strategic waterway had become a matter of "national security" following the four-month conflict involving the United States and Israel.
"There will be new arrangements concerning the Strait of Hormuz with the collaboration and cooperation of the state of Oman," Fazli said.
"We will definitely have special considerations for China, because China is a friendly country," he added, without specifying what the concessions would involve.
The future management of the Strait of Hormuz is one of the issues under discussion in negotiations aimed at securing a permanent end to the conflict. Iran effectively closed the waterway after US and Israeli airstrikes began in late February, with shipping only recently resuming following an interim peace agreement signed last month.
According to the report, at least eight ships attempting to leave the Persian Gulf along the Omani coast turned back between Friday and Saturday, indicating that normal navigation through the strait remains uncertain.
The United States and Gulf Arab states have opposed any transit charges imposed by Iran or Oman. However, some European countries have reportedly accepted that vessels may have to pay fees, while urging that ships should not face discrimination based on nationality.
China, which purchases most of Iran's oil exports, on Friday called for the uninterrupted flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Fazli said any fees would be used to guarantee safe passage and address environmental costs, adding that enforcement would comply with international maritime law.