U.S. Senator Marco Rubio said the United States will not tolerate tolls for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz [1].
The stance signals a hard line on maritime security in one of the world's most critical shipping lanes. Any restriction on free passage could disrupt global energy markets and escalate tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Speaking during a press briefing in Manama, Bahrain, on Thursday, Rubio said the prospect of passage fees is "not doable" [1, 4]. He said the United States will not accept fees for passage through the waterway [3].
Rubio said that the implementation of such a toll system would undermine the possibility of a diplomatic agreement. "Iran's toll system would make any US‑Iran deal impossible," Rubio said [2].
The senator's comments follow claims from Tehran that the strait will not return to its pre-war conditions and that Iran has the right to charge fees for services [5]. Rubio said such tolls are illegal under international maritime law [2, 5].
While some reports have identified Rubio as the Secretary of State, official U.S. government records list him as a senator [6]. Despite the title discrepancy in some media accounts, the message regarding the Strait of Hormuz remains consistent: the U.S. views any attempt to monetize the waterway as a violation of international norms [1, 3].
Rubio said that the U.S. remains open to a deal with Iran, but not at the cost of compromising the freedom of navigation in the region [4].
“"We will not tolerate tolls in the Strait of Hormuz. It's not doable."”
The Strait of Hormuz is the world's most important oil transit chokepoint. By framing the issue as a matter of international law and a prerequisite for diplomacy, the U.S. is attempting to prevent Iran from gaining economic or political leverage over global trade. This position suggests that maritime access is a non-negotiable security interest that outweighs the potential incentives of a broader diplomatic agreement.
