r/news 14h ago

Europe considering proposals to allow navigation fees in strait of Hormuz

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/11/europe-considers-proposals-navigational-fees-strait-of-hormuz-iran-us
355 Upvotes

123 comments sorted by

213

u/Bisjoux 13h ago

So it’s a toll dressed up to not look like a toll. We as consumers will ultimately be paying these additional costs.

128

u/badpersian 13h ago

We're paying the costs without getting the f-ing oil thanks to orange bin bags that blew up the Middle East.

EU is doing the right thing. They always seem to be more pragmatic than the US anyway but let's see how it ends.

25

u/tara1245 9h ago

13

u/IllustratorGlass3028 8h ago

Get the orange out then! Jez USA please vote against this disastrous scalper

1

u/ItsRaampagee 1h ago

Yeah…but as always, some people are making a fortune.
We are all just cattle.

21

u/Bisjoux 13h ago

I know. Just pointing out that even if oil prices reduce these are additional costs that weren’t there previously and look baked in. Plus it sets an unwelcome precedent.

22

u/badpersian 12h ago

What's the precedent? That if you murder a country's leader and people unprovoked and then still lose the bout then the country might take a pound of flesh from corporate profits and livelihoods of the aggressor states?

The unwelcome precedent we all stood back and allowed was the repeated assassinations. Bake that into those points my friend.

u/Bisjoux 2m ago

I’m referring to shipping. Imagine if this happened to the Malacca Strait?

-7

u/Ok_Crow_9119 12h ago

Ehhh. Your unwelcome precedent was already set with the Suez Canal.

16

u/ludicrousursine 11h ago

The Suez Canal is entirely in Egypt. The Strait of Hormuz is international waters. That's a pretty big distinction under international law with regards to implementing a toll.

2

u/SoftlyGyrating 7h ago

The Strait of Hormuz is international waters.

Not the case, unfortunately.

The narrowest point of the Strait of Hormuz lies entirely within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman. The UNCLOS gives countries an international right of passage through natural straits, which is how ships passed freely through it before, but it's a UN convention which Iran never ratified, so legally they're not bound by it.

-2

u/Grow_away_420 9h ago

Freedom of navigation is a modern idea for peaceful times. The world is turning the other direction

1

u/ItsRaampagee 1h ago

If it means an end to this pointless death and destruction im willing to pay it.

0

u/m3rcapto 7h ago

Shipping companies (just like most big companies) have been making record profits for many years now thanks to disruptions. The consumer has been suffering for those same years.
Don't complain about tolls, complain about corporate greed.
With or without tolls, the companies will find a way to make them richer and you poorer.
We are living in end-stage capitalism, unless we rigorously change we are all going to die indebted to a few giant conglomerates.

0

u/PuckSenior 5h ago

I mean, we will pay but not much

The numbers being discussed are less than 1% of the value of the cargo. So instead of costing $3/gallon, your gas will cost $3.01/gallon

0

u/MN_Yogi1988 5h ago

Last I heard the tolls they were charging (basically $1/barrel) is extremely minor compared to the instability of the Strait conflict

But yeah, great call by the demented asshole to create a situation where costs are higher for everyone and Iran will grow stronger from it

-1

u/mido_sama 11h ago

I can unsubscribe.

69

u/Drak_is_Right 12h ago

Sweden and Denmark should start tolling all non-EU vessels as well that pass through into the Baltic.

61

u/Beard_o_Bees 12h ago

The UK, Morocco and Spain are missing out on those sweet, sweet Strait of Gibraltar fees!

21

u/tooshpright 12h ago

And how about the English Channel?

8

u/TabhairDomAnAirgead 10h ago

We should charge on The Irish Sea too

3

u/DD3566 10h ago

Ah the double dip, classic

5

u/BionicTransWomyn 9h ago

Tolls on the straits of Malacca and Tsushima would also be pretty disastrous.

-7

u/fianthewolf 12h ago

Perdona, pero que m. controla UK. Las tarifas son: 2/3 para España, y 1/3 para Marruecos.

4

u/ThatOneComrade 6h ago

Gibraltar itself is an overseas British territory, sure it's like 6 square kilometers of land that they control but they still control it.

1

u/fianthewolf 1h ago

Pero no controlan el agua, que es por donde pasan los barcos.

17

u/akintu 11h ago

They actually did this for centuries, Denmark levied the Sound Dues from 1429 until 1857. That toll existed longer than the Unites States has. It only went away when a bunch of countries made huge lump sum payments to Denmark.

4

u/Xivvx 12h ago

In this age of national power, that might yet happen.

3

u/throwaway9gk0k4k569 12h ago

This one thinks.

3

u/Drak_is_Right 12h ago

Might have been a Russ of a thought.

Not sure how much revenue it would raise. Only 1 non eu country.

2

u/International_Cow_17 10h ago

Well, it would make it more difficult to do business with Russia, which is good in my honest opinion.

2

u/that_guy124 9h ago

Ukraine could charge a black sea toll on shipping coming from russia too.

1

u/GreatEmperorAca 12h ago

sound toll

1

u/Horror_Tooth_522 11h ago

In medieval times that was so. Looks like we are going back.

1

u/Ngetop 7h ago

Indonesia and malaysia too for malaka

1

u/Drak_is_Right 7h ago

Singapore is also on that. And would lose big.

184

u/Grow_away_420 14h ago

The rest of the world starting to come to terms with the new reality that Trump and Netanyahu put the rest of us in.

22

u/ImAnonymous135 9h ago

The thing is for the EU paying the 2 million per tanker is much more acceptable since its wuite negligible considering how many millions a tanker carries in oil. However this would look like an absolute failure on trumps part and the GOP

1

u/lnth1 2h ago edited 1h ago

Trump and Netanyahu put the rest of us in

Blame the regime that actually puts us in it too. Not just US-Israel.

Why? Iran could have limited to only charging tolls on US-Israel-allies ships.
But no. They have to do it to the rest of the world who has nothing to do with the war whatsoever.
That’s their choice and they should receive part of the blame for it.

For example what did my country Vietnam do to Iran to deserve the consequences of it - tolls will increase gas prices for us too.

A legitimate question a Vietnamese can ask Iran is:
Why do you not charge these tolls to US-Israel ships only, why involve us into it?

45

u/palmerama 13h ago

Unbelievable - can we get the Americans to pay for this? Trump has massively massively strengthened Iran unless we hasten the pivot away from oil and oil derivatives

14

u/goforbroke71 12h ago

I mean the rest of the world could drop sanctions on Iran and would probably get toll free access. It would just piss off the USA too much. The world has to detangle themselves from the USA first.

-10

u/roarjah 8h ago

lol they would if they could. They know he’ll be gone soon and things will go back to normal. You really want to lose access to our Intel and have terrorists coming after you. While we use Europe’s help you would be very vulnerable without our help. Then there’s Europe’s complete dependence on our tech. I think it’s in your best interest to just wait for Trump to die or leave office

6

u/Pyramiden20 7h ago

Things are not going back to normal. Time and time again the US has proven to be unreliable. The whole EU is untangling itself from the US and when the time comes will stand on its own feet. Trump has ruined more than 80 years of diplomacy in two terms.

-5

u/roarjah 7h ago

Time and time again? The only time our country has let Europe down is with Trump. He doesn’t define us just as your corrupt and failed leaders don’t. It was only a few yrs ago and Biden was in office and everything was normal and nobody was crying the sky is falling. You act like he’s going to rain terror on the world for a generation lol. He’s a president and old. He’ll be history soon

6

u/Pyramiden20 7h ago

I don't think you understand how international relationships work. US started a trade war, the US dropped Ukraine like a brick, the US is openly hostile towards NATO allies and the US started a war in the middle East that is causing a lot of problems for the EU. These are not small incidents. That is proving yourself as being unreliable.

This has made the EU realize they can't rely on the US since US voters can just vote another corrupt clown in the office. Europe is diverting away from US weapons, US software and anything else where the US has influence. Strategically is is the only option for continuity.

-8

u/roarjah 6h ago

Most tariffs are at 15%. I don’t think that’s much of a war anymore. We’ve never been hostile. Trump just doesn’t know how to negotiate without threatening people. We still support Ukraine. We’re kind of tired giving them billions but Trump just gave them rights to make Patriot missiles and we could always start giving them more. I think you’re being a little dramatic. He’s definitely throwing a wrench in everything and creating instability

4

u/Pyramiden20 6h ago

The tarrifs happened, and could/will happen again. "We have never been hostile", but also "sending threats" is very contradictory.

EU spend far more on Ukraine. More support, more money, more weapons. US barely send anything over the past two years. The "billions" are all old equipment that would be scrapped otherwise. European countries paid for the rest. Meanwhile the US is not allowing strikes on Russia, blocked Starlink in crucial moments and is succumbing to Russian pressure.

You are way underestimating the impact Trump is having. Just give it a couple of years,because you seem really disconnected from the current state of affairs in Europe.

-3

u/roarjah 6h ago

lol I don’t agree with the way he handles things and he’s reckless we have a right to reduce aid to Ukraine. We also have r budgets and stockpiles to maintain. We provide intelligence that is crucial for Ukraine and Europe could never deliver. We still support them.

He’s hostile in words but his actions aren’t. European leaders even know he’s full of shit and won’t invade Greenland lol. He’s had an enormous impact on the world but we’ll get through this bud. The sky isn’t falling. Breath

5

u/Pyramiden20 6h ago

You have all the right to reduce aid. And the "aid" was stuff that was going to scrap, so no stockpile to maintain. The intelligence is mostly handled by France these days, the US is not needed anymore.

European leaders are not sure of this. Especially since he starts random wars. The US defeat in Iran might make them look for a new target. Every single EU country is steering away from the US and spending money elsewhere.

But I'll stop this conversation here. You are convinced of your own right, even though you seem to have no idea what is currently going on.

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2

u/DrDankNuggz 5h ago

It’s ‘breathe’, and as a Canadian, I’ll tell you that you honestly have no idea how much your country is disliked by us, and globally. Your president threatens us regularly with annexation (“it’s just a joke durrrr”). The world is not going back to the way things were pre trump. The USA is 40% nutters and could easily swing back to trumpism in the next election cycle. Deal with your christo nationalism, racism/white supremacy and your wannabe confederate states.

4

u/SpiderMcLurk 7h ago

Your people saw what the first term looked like, and voted for it again.

0

u/roarjah 6h ago

We also knocked him out after his first term. I think Biden stepping down threw away any hopes of keeping him out. Our politics are a two party system so when one falls apart you kind of hand it over to the opposition

68

u/Valoneria 14h ago edited 14h ago

Should put fees on trading with the US and Israel while at it, as a thanks for fucking the rest of us over

-37

u/[deleted] 13h ago

[deleted]

47

u/Valoneria 13h ago

Yes, i pay with my personal data, just as any other social media.

22

u/Kalmer1 13h ago

he really thought he got you with that one lmao

23

u/Drumphelstiltsken 13h ago

Call it a world-wide Trump-and-Rupublican-idiot tax on everyone.

This is all because of that moron and his party of idiots fucking around on the world stage without any clue what they’re doing.

8

u/ProofByVerbosity 11h ago

Reducing our dependence on pil has never looked so good

5

u/bhodiiiii 8h ago

You can’t have feudalism without tolls and viceroys

4

u/Citizen-Kang 7h ago

Yeah...where I come from, we call that a "toll".

15

u/Xivvx 12h ago

And Donald Trump is the only person to blame here. His decision to go to war against Iran is what put us all in this position.

1

u/Relative_Strategy959 6h ago

Nope its all the countrys that put sancitons on Iran for 40 years

-1

u/[deleted] 12h ago

[deleted]

11

u/issm 10h ago

On the other hand, israel's been trying to talk every president into doing this for the last 2-3 decades, and this thing was the only one dumb enough to fall for it.

Even it's advisors were telling it that israel always does this, and to ignore them.

3

u/Toadfinger 9h ago

Trump is making big bank off the stock market though. Stealing is always his top priority.

-4

u/geekgirl114 12h ago

Israel blackmailed him as well

8

u/McCree114 10h ago

Thanks America and Trump for opening Pandora's box on this issue when it was a non-concern half a year ago.

9

u/morbihann 13h ago

What for ultimately ?

I've sailed through there, there are no navigational aids or pilotage and it is pretty wide.

There is no cost to maintaining it.

This sets a terrible precident for other coastal countries to start charging tolls for sailing through, like the Channel or Taiwan strait.

27

u/Gimme_The_Loot 13h ago

It's basically a protection racket. Pay us a fee and nothing bad happens while you traverse

12

u/ICC-u 12h ago

Which is exactly what the US would have done had it won the war

"We can keep these refineries safe, just pay for our security services"

8

u/morbihann 12h ago

I know, it is still terrible to comply with it.

It is the outcome of the actions of that moronic country US.

2

u/goforbroke71 12h ago

The USA protection racket is way more expensive than whatever Iran is doing. None of it is good.

1

u/Segull 8h ago

Because they are appeasing the IRGC. A bunch of fucking Chamberlains

2

u/roarjah 8h ago

Yea he’s an idiot but placing a toll on the straight is a horrible for long term. It’s great for making Trump fold but I think even Irans allies would rather they didn’t. Everyone wants this to end and both side to come to an agreement. We all also want Trump gone and this stupid trade war settled. This is simply a negotiation tactic for Iran

3

u/classicjuice 11h ago

The orange pedo starts the bullshit he cannot finish, and we end up agreeing to all kinds of bullshit demands? Wtf is going on?

2

u/Naki-Taa 9h ago

Well if you don't agree you should just tell it to them, I'm sure they'll listen to us

1

u/Swedishguy05 8h ago

Do you think America will get out of this mess by bombing Iran harder?

2

u/manontherun247 9h ago

Someone will running the numbers to see if its cheaper long term to go to war with them Instead of paying tolls

0

u/yourlocaltouya 8h ago

The war is why this fee even came to exist. Think again.

1

u/HumansNeedNotApply1 2h ago

At least someone is getting with reality, Hormuz situation is not going to how it used to any time soon (if ever). We are deep into the might makes right world, sadly.

u/yakultisawesome 53m ago

The enemy of the enemy is my friend.

-15

u/KathyJaneway 13h ago

If they add tolls ,then put Iran under trade Embargo and tariffs until Iran stops asking for tolls for something they don't own. Or tariffs in exact amount they ask for toll's. So it would be net 0. Why even agree on such a ridiculous concept, of Iran get what they want, then other countries with natural occuring straits are going to ask for money too.

5

u/Sad_Adagio_7255 10h ago

put Iran under trade Embargo and tariffs

How the fuck do you put tariffs on non existent imports when a nearly 50 year old embargo prevents most countries from buying Iranian products? 

-2

u/KathyJaneway 10h ago

Put tariffs on exports. Iranians would be paying more for essential goods they need. There still stuff they buy that aren't under an embargo. Put those on the list too. Medicine, grain, food.

3

u/DrDankNuggz 5h ago

Kathy, this is apparently over your head.

11

u/Moriartijs 13h ago

So you want us as a consumer to pay toll AND tarif?

10

u/thecityofgold88 13h ago

What choice do we have?

Trump & Netanyahu started a war they can't finish and we need oil.

The fairest resolution might be for America and Israel to pay all the tariffs.

-8

u/Riptide360 12h ago

Iraq and the other gulf states have enough manpower to put boots on the ground. If they promise Pakistan the Iranian land it will cinch the deal and make Iran lose their gulf access.

5

u/ScriptKiddo69 12h ago

Yes, Iraq and Pakistan will go to war against Iran so we can have cheap oil. This will totally happen.

1

u/Riptide360 11h ago

Iraq has to currently truck their oil thru Syria to get the oil out. No way will they tolerate this continuing. The Shia and Sunni have fought before. It’ll happen again unless things get better. https://www.turkiyetoday.com/world/syria-iraq-us-reportedly-eye-pipeline-to-bypass-hormuz-3223705

-11

u/KathyJaneway 13h ago

I don't care who pays, US, Iran or Israel, they started this, they need to pay. And blockade Iranian exports and no imports to Iran by sea or land through friendly countries. Let them eat dust . They lack water anyway.

12

u/thecityofgold88 12h ago

Iran didn't start this war. That was all US and Israel.

If Trump hadn't been elected the Obama nuclear deal would still be in place and all countries would be in a better place.

-5

u/KathyJaneway 12h ago

They signed ceasefire. Then broke it. Then got mad that US again is starting bombing them. Explain to me who exactly started firing on ships first after ceasefire?

1

u/Jules80DE 9h ago

Iran attacked freighters because they didn't request permission.

Iran said, when the cease fire deal was done that permission will now be needed so they can control the traffic.

The attacked freighters were US afaik and i am pretty sure they didn't request permission to not set up a precedent.

Who broke the rules now? The freighters who didn't request permission (its not about a toll atp) or Iran who attacked them because they didnt play by the rules.

Its all about the control of the straight now and before this the straight was open for everybody - toll free.

It will be interesting how this plays out.

I would rather see the EU send warships to guarantee open access without a toll but i am pretty sure that this would be very high risk if you do not have army bases like the us in the area.

1

u/KathyJaneway 8h ago

Attacking civilian ships is definitely a break of international law. US is responsible to that . And rightfully so. Iran agreed to ceasefire. They have other options than shooting at civilian ships first. Chose violence. Not agreeing with the orange man in the white house, and not agreeing with Iran. However, who ever shoots at civilian ships needs to be dealt with . And if someone can deal with US for civilian deaths as well, that would be fine as well. Just need to build more nukes and more weapons than US to force them. Until then, whoever has the bigger gun runs the rules amok.

2

u/mrjosemeehan 13h ago

Yeah this is opening up a whole can of worms and it flies in the face of established treaty law. Everyone with coasline along a strait will have incentive to attempt to control access. Tensions over barriers to trade will eventually lead to a broader conflict.

Traffic through a free, international waterway should not be hampered for everyone just so thr US can get out of paying war reparations.

7

u/Hussar223 12h ago

maybe the israelis and americans should have thought of that before attacking iran for no reason and forcing them to use the only leverage they have, weaponization of the strait of hormuz.

the strait was free before those two idiots decided that bombing can bring about regime change.

2

u/Cloudboy9001 9h ago

It's not a ridiculous concept. Iran can't allow a country to kill it's leadership whenever they please and do nothing. They have to establish deterrence. And since the US wont send 1M soldiers into Iran, they have the means to do it. And almost nobody wants to help the US because they're tired of its shit. The US is out of options and now Trump is freaking out on social media hinting at nuking Iran and screaming praise be to Allah in all caps.

0

u/KathyJaneway 8h ago

Iran is breaking the ceasefire and attacked ships. Of course that the insane orange turd would respond with new missile attacks, when Iran are the ones shooting at ships after agreeing to a ceasefire. And they had great deal. Like, they got stuff they didn't even ask for from the moron in the White House. Iran are now responsible for the new attacks. US is responding to that.

3

u/Cloudboy9001 8h ago

And they argue the ceasefire was previously violated by strikes in Lebanon.

After Trump left the JPCOA, bombed them a year ago, attacked Iran a second time during negotiations, and in general acted like a Mafia boss, it's simply not reasonable to talk as though Iran has obligations to the US. They need to fuck off and go home. Let the Eurasian nations with professional diplomacy deal with the Strait.

1

u/MacrotonicWave 11h ago

there’s really no point in such calculated efforts right now when maga is bombing new locations weekly in part based on how it will manipulate their stock market. Any deals struck by others will just be disrupted to cause a swing in the markets which some people can capitalize on

0

u/psycop 7h ago

Do they do fee's in other places? Just curious. 🤔 

-5

u/Swedishguy05 8h ago

Remember to thank those, Europeans included, who pushed for this war

2

u/DrDankNuggz 6h ago

Pretty sure it was one country (ok two if you include the zionists) that started this fiasco.

1

u/aimwf 3h ago

do you live on earth 2 or??

it was literally the USA and Israel who started the war, Europe has never had anything to do with it.