Iran is seeking to tighten its grip on the Strait of Hormuz — not by closing it, but by reopening it and forcing countries to pay for passage
” is open for business. How it works is simple: Iran offers passage through its territorial waters in the strait in exchange for payment as high as $2 million. It’s a shakedown, and tankers are happy to pay.
Traffic through the Tehran Toll Booth is growing steadily, with at least 20 ships transiting the corridor as of March 23. It accounts for anywhere between through the strait since the start of the war — and the Iranian parliament is now moving to formalize its operations with. What’s more, the impact of Iran’s effective control over this corridor is only exacerbated by the United States’s decision earlier this month to have all reportedly begun discussions with Iran over securing access to the corridor. Ships destined for India and China haveshould take decisive action now — targeting the corridor’s military and financial support infrastructure — to strike at Iran’s control over the strait and deprive the regime of new, desperately needed funds. The first step in dismantling the corridor involves targeting Larak Island, which the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is reportedly using to monitor vessels transiting the “safe” route. The island sits just 20 miles from mainland Iran and has not been hit by either U.S. or Israeli airstrikes. According to the Israel-based Alma Research and Education Center, the island houses a Russian-madeunder Iran’s layered air defense networks, along with Iranian naval infantry and fast-attack vessels armed with anti-ship missiles. Striking these facilities would eliminate Iran’s ability to validate which vessels are cleared for transit — and with it, the corridor’s operational backbone. The second step is financial. Washington should aggressively sanction Chinese businesses and financial institutions that have historically facilitated Iranian sanctions evasion — and that are well positioned to process any yuan-denominated payments linked to the corridor’s operation. These firms and the The Treasury Department should impose sanctions on the Chinese financial intermediaries most likely servicing Iran’s accounts, sending a clear signal that there are consequences for helping to solidify the regime’s control over the strait. Thehas thus far shown little appetite for such coercive action directed at Beijing. Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz may shift that strategic thinking.” policy, which would establish a defensive line across the Gulf of Oman to prevent Iranian vessels from reaching their final destinations until Tehran unconditionally reopens the strait. The approach would force the countries buying Iranian oil — China, India, Pakistan, and Turkey — to pressure Iran directly. It is worth serious consideration.assets, sanctions authorities, and diplomatic leverage to shut it down. What it needs is the will to act before Iran’s control over the strait becomes the status quo. Max Meizlish is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former sanctions enforcement officer in the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. Follow him on X
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