WANA (Jun 07) – Experts remain divided over the implementation of smart controls in the Strait of Hormuz, even as a plan to collect service fees from transiting vessels gets underway, according to informed sources.

 

A member of the parliament’s Budget and Planning Committee, Mohsen Zanganeh, stated that an average of $1.5 million to $2 million is currently being collected from each vessel transiting the strategic waterway.

 

The disclosure follows remarks made in May by Ali Nikzad, the deputy speaker of parliament, during a visit by the Civil Commission to Bandar Abbas and the Strait of Hormuz, where he announced the drafting of a 12-point management plan for the strait.

 

Sources stated that a joint task force, operating with the cooperation of the Ministry of Economy and under the supervision of the Supreme National Security Council, had been established to execute the plan. The collected revenues are reportedly deposited into the national treasury in accordance with the budget law to be allocated for designated expenditures.

 

A portion of these transactions is reportedly non-cash, settled via Tether (USDT), commodity exchanges, or barter mechanisms. Under this arrangement, certain vessels provide goods or services in lieu of direct monetary payments, the value of which is deducted from the total payable fee.

 

Commenting on the implementation of smart controls in the Strait of Hormuz, Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani noted that because Donald Trump would leave office in two years, the country should maximize the utilization of negotiations.

 

He warned that excessive pressure could prompt the international community to seek alternative transit solutions bypassing the Strait of Hormuz altogether, citing the pipeline infrastructure already developed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

 

In contrast, economic analyst Mansour Zarra-Nezhad argued that the maximum potential revenue from the Strait of Hormuz transiting fees would amount to approximately $7.5 billion annually, which he characterized as modest.

 

However, he emphasized that the true significance of the waterway lay in its strategic leverage, noting that any disruption could shock the global energy market, supply chains, and the world economy, thereby providing Iran with substantial leverage in diplomatic negotiations.

 

Estimates from the International Energy Agency (IEA) indicate that a complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz would remove roughly 80 percent of its transit crude, equivalent to 16 million barrels per day, from the global market.

 

Such a disruption would instantly reduce the global oil supply by 20 percent, driving crude prices significantly higher and triggering a widespread, unprecedented shock to global shipping costs, insurance premiums, and commodity prices.