Some Gulf states signal they aren't opposed to paying fees in Hormuz, sources say Some Arab Gulf States have suggested to the US and European countries that they are not opposed to paying a fee in the Strait of Hormuz, but reject Iranian control of the waterway, multiple US and regional officials have told Middle East Eye. The difference between the two positions is a nuanced one, officials briefed on the matter told MEE, but it is important as fighting flares between the US and Iran again. US President Donald Trump is also signalling he expects economic compensation for the US providing security in the waterway.
“For some Gulf states, a toll doesn’t really matter. Financially, it is negligible to their bottom line. They want stability,” one US official told MEE.
“What the Gulf doesn’t want is Iran to have veto power over who can exit and enter the strait. They don’t want Iran to be able to flip a switch. The toll or payment is insignificant,” a separate official in the region told MEE.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The signals Gulf states have quietly sent to multiple western capitals could explain why US President Donald Trump has resurrected the idea of charging to provide security in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump on Monday called for the US to collect a 20 percent fee for serving as the “guardian” of the Strait of Hormuz. He said the US’s Gulf partners, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, should pay the fee for security.
But Trump's remarks contrasted sharply with those of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the same day, who said that "no country is allowed to charge tolls or fees" in international waterways. UAE and other Gulf officials have publicly rejected Iran's attempts to impose transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz. Investments, not fees Trump walked back his claim on Tuesday, saying that in lieu of a fee, he expected Gulf states to invest more money in the US.
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