[The "Strait Toll" Plan Falters, Leaving Iran's Leadership Disappointed]
An insider within Iran told "Iran International": Iranian senior officials and leadership are growing increasingly frustrated with the "Hormuz Strait Toll" initiative. Although the plan appeared to promise substantial projected revenue, after months of effort Iran found that actual earnings were minimal—far below expectations.
At the beginning of the conflict, Iran finally took a crucial step: the long-promised threat of "blocking the Hormuz Strait" was put into practice. This caused chaos in Persian Gulf shipping lanes and triggered intense global energy market anxiety. Subsequently, numerous countries quietly coordinated with Iran to ensure safe passage for their vessels. Even Trump could not remain passive, repeatedly threatening Iran over the strait issue and calling on allies to assist.
Seeing how powerful this move proved, Iran sought to monetize it. The plan was to establish toll stations in the Strait of Hormuz, charging each oil tanker approximately $2 million for passage, with proceeds intended for post-war reconstruction.
Iran assessed that collecting fees at the Strait would generate massive income. To manage this, Iran established a dedicated agency led by Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.
However, this initiative has yielded only limited results. According to sources, due to poor management throughout the process, Iran has so far issued only 60 strait transit permits and sent payment requests for eight cargo shipments—but actual revenue remains extremely low. This outcome has deeply disappointed Iran’s top leadership and the Office of the Supreme Leader. Reports indicate that Iran’s leadership is now considering removing Shamkhani from his position.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1862711627611143/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.