New Delhi: Iran has made a new rule for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Now it is planning to collect transit fees from commercial ships, but a particular country has been given complete exemption from this fee. And that country is Malaysia, which has been given special exemption by Iran.
Iran has allowed all Malaysian ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without any fees. Iranian Ambassador Valiollah Mohammadi Nasrabadi said on Tuesday that no tolls or fees would be charged from Malaysian ships.
The ambassador told the local media that Malaysia is a friendly country. Therefore, its ships will be able to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without any restriction. He clearly said, “We will not take money from Malaysian ships.”
At least seven tankers and ships of Malaysia are currently in the Persian Gulf. These ships want to complete their journey by crossing the Strait of Hormuz. Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Lok also confirmed that the Iranian government has not imposed any toll on their ships.
The Iranian ambassador said that Malaysia and Iran have good diplomatic relations. Friendly countries have complete freedom to use the Strait of Hormuz. He stressed that the strait has not been completely closed. It is closed only to those countries which are attacking Iran.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most important waterways in the world. Millions of barrels of oil and gas pass through here every day, but after the US-Israeli attacks on February 28, Iran had imposed some restrictions on the strait.
This affected global oil supply and led to a surge in prices. Iran has given special exemption to some countries. These include India, Russia, China, Pakistan and Iraq. Now Malaysia has also been included in this list.
Iran is turning this crisis into an opportunity and making arrangements to collect fees from the Strait of Hormuz, but it is maintaining friendship with friendly countries and giving them a free pass. This decision shows that Iran is trying to pursue both diplomacy and economic interests simultaneously.
