Can Iran “Control” the Strait of Hormuz?
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Can Iran “Control” the Strait of Hormuz?
Iran has developed a comprehensive plan to manage the Strait of Hormuz.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsAccording to Iran’s Mehr News Agency, on the 25th, a statement by an Iranian parliamentarian reported that Iran has formulated a comprehensive plan for managing the Strait of Hormuz. Analysts point out that Iran’s move serves multiple objectives—including intensifying pressure on the United States and Israel, and securing new stable revenue sources. However, charging transit fees for vessels passing through the strait has drawn international opposition. The U.S. is countering with measures to blockade Iranian ports and vessels, casting uncertainty over whether Iran’s Strait management plan can be implemented in practice.
This archival photo of the Strait of Hormuz was taken on February 19, 2025. Photo by Wang Qiang, Xinhua News Agency.
What Are the Objectives?
According to Mehr News Agency, the information was disclosed by Behnam Sayyedi, a member of Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly. Iranian media previously reported that on the 5th, the Iranian Parliament reviewed several proposals concerning governance of the Strait of Hormuz and decided to establish a dedicated committee to formulate a comprehensive plan and legal framework for asserting jurisdiction over the strait.
Per Sayyedi’s account, the comprehensive plan includes the following elements:
Sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz will rest entirely with Iran;
All vessels and warships navigating within the strait must obtain prior permission from Iran;
Vessels transiting the strait must pay fees related to security, environmental protection, maritime traffic management, and permit issuance—preferably in Iranian rials;
Vessels from countries designated as “hostile” by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council or General Staff of the Armed Forces are prohibited from transiting the strait; Israeli vessels are categorically banned;
Countries determined to have caused losses to Iran must first reach agreement with Tehran on compensation before their vessels may receive transit permits.
Analysts believe the plan reflects multiple strategic aims.
First, continuing pressure on the U.S. and Israel. By controlling this globally vital shipping route, Iran seeks to influence international oil prices—exacerbating inflationary pressures and economic burdens on the U.S. and Israel while prompting the international community to call for de-escalation and unimpeded navigation, thereby subjecting both countries to dual economic and diplomatic strain. Prohibiting passage by “hostile” nations directly targets the U.S. and Israel. Linking transit rights to war reparations demands further aims to compel U.S. concessions on compensation issues.
Second, preserving room for U.S.-Iran negotiations. Although Iran maintains a consistently tough stance toward the U.S., it has not completely closed the door to talks. Recently, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited Pakistan, publicly stating he would not negotiate with the U.S., yet simultaneously conveyed messages to Washington via Pakistani intermediaries—and indicated he might soon return to Islamabad. Sayyedi explicitly named Israel as “categorically banned” but refrained from naming the U.S., possibly signaling that U.S. vessel transit could serve as a bargaining chip in future negotiations.
On April 25, 2026, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (left) held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital. Photo by the Office of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Xinhua News Agency.
Third, generating new revenue for Iran. Statistics suggest that if Iran levied a $1-per-barrel fee on oil transiting the Strait of Hormuz—at pre-war traffic volumes—the country would earn over $7.7 billion annually. International observers view such revenue as critical to sustaining Iran’s resistance against Western sanctions and financing post-war reconstruction. Requiring payment primarily in rials also aims to circumvent restrictions imposed by the U.S. dollar-based financial system.
Can It Be Implemented?
Regarding next steps, Sayyedi stated the plan has been submitted to the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly. Once parliamentary plenary sessions resume, it will be forwarded to the Speaker’s Board for deliberation and eventual vote in a full assembly session. The plan may also be approved and promulgated by the Supreme National Security Council.
Abdul Aziz Al-Shabani, researcher at Riyadh’s Political and Strategic Studies Center in Saudi Arabia, analyzed that approval by the full parliamentary assembly would grant the plan formal legal status—but the process is complex and more likely to provoke international backlash. In contrast, approval and issuance by the Supreme National Security Council offers a more flexible and expedited path, allowing adjustments in response to evolving developments.
Nonetheless, Al-Shabani believes that, operationally, implementing blanket interception and fee collection across all vessels traversing the strait—given its immense traffic volume and presence of foreign military forces—would be extremely difficult. Future enforcement is thus more likely to be limited and selective.
Moreover, Iran’s move raises legal controversies under international law and has triggered widespread objections. Levying transit fees on this critical maritime chokepoint would inevitably increase transit time and costs for vessels, exerting broad economic impacts on numerous countries. Many nations—including Gulf states—have voiced strong preferences for keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and unimpeded. The UK and France have already spearheaded a coalition aiming to coordinate multinational efforts to ensure the strait remains accessible. Should Iran proceed forcibly with fee collection, it risks mounting international pressure and diplomatic isolation.
Additionally, the U.S. is countering with measures to blockade Iranian ports and vessels. Washington has made clear it will never allow Iran to permanently control the strait or establish a toll-collection system. If the blockade persists long enough to fill Iran’s oil storage facilities to capacity, Iran may be forced to halt production—a scenario potentially damaging to its oil extraction infrastructure. The U.S. has also threatened to intercept and inspect, in international waters, any vessels paying transit fees to Iran. This could result in zero vessels transiting the strait—and Iran collecting no fees whatsoever.
Of course, sustaining such a U.S. blockade entails enormous costs, and prolonged enforcement could negatively affect Republican prospects in upcoming midterm elections—making it uncertain how long Washington can maintain this pressure. Iran, too, may treat the fee proposal merely as a negotiating tool to extract concessions from the U.S., rather than a policy it intends to implement unilaterally. Consequently, whether—and to what extent—the above plan will be enacted remains highly uncertain.
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