Iran has confirmed collecting the first transit tolls from vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a move that signals Tehran's determination to leverage its control over one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints even as a fragile ceasefire with the United States holds. The development comes amid mounting economic devastation inside Iran and deepening uncertainty over the future of US-Iran negotiations.
Hamidreza Haji-Babai, a member of the Iranian parliament, confirmed that the Islamic Republic had collected fees from some ships transiting the strait, stating that "the first revenue from Hormuz transit tolls has been deposited into the Central Bank's account", according to the BBC News Persian. The Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission had previously passed legislation titled "Enforcement of the Islamic Republic's Sovereign Rights in the Strait of Hormuz," which authorised the collection of fees covering security, navigation, and environmental costs.
The toll collection places Tehran and Washington in direct confrontation over control of the waterway. President Donald Trump had threatened any country paying what he called "illegal tolls" to Iran to gain passage through the strait. Both Iran and the United States have claimed authority over the passage. Trump extended a temporary ceasefire two days ago at the request of Pakistani officials, giving Tehran time to present a final proposal — while simultaneously maintaining the naval blockade of Iran's southern ports and the Strait of Hormuz.
The closure of the strait has had a severe impact on global energy markets. According to the New York Times, daily ship traffic through Hormuz collapsed from approximately 130 vessels before the conflict began to just eight — and on one day near the end of the eighth week of fighting, only a single vessel transited the strait. Under normal conditions, roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply and a significant portion of its natural gas passes through Hormuz. The International Energy Agency has reported a roughly 10 percent drop in global oil supply as a result. Shipping analysts at Windward noted that after reports of an attack on one vessel, at least 33 ships abandoned their transit attempts.
The economic toll inside Iran is equally severe. According to NetBlocks, an independent internet monitoring organisation, Iran's nationwide internet blackout has now entered its 55th consecutive day, with connectivity flatlined at approximately 2 percent of pre-conflict levels after 1,296 hours of disruption, reported the Iran International. The blackout, imposed when US and Israeli strikes began in late February 2026, has paralysed online commerce, payment systems, and digital-dependent businesses. Private-sector sources cited by the Telegram channel Emdad estimated the real cost — including indirect war damage — could reach $70 to $80 million per day, with cumulative losses approaching $3 to $4 billion. Iran's Communications Minister had previously stated that each day of internet disruption caused approximately 5,000 billion tomans in direct damage.
Reports have also emerged that government officials, state-media figures, and people connected to the regime have been granted access to international internet through so-called "white SIM cards" — an inequity that has fuelled public anger. A senior parliamentary official confirmed that all decisions on internet access levels rest with the Supreme National Security Council.
Inside Iran's fractured political establishment, divisions over the ceasefire and negotiations are deepening. Ali Khezrian, a member of the parliamentary National Security Commission, said that Mojtaba Khamenei — the new Supreme Leader following the death of Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war — is "strongly opposed" to any extension of negotiations with Washington under the current conditions, according to the BBC News Persian. Khamenei has not appeared in video or audio since his father's death; only written messages attributed to him have been published in Iranian media. Tehran's hardline newspapers characterised Trump's ceasefire extension as a "retreat," while the semi-official Qods newspaper called American diplomacy under current conditions — with Iran under a naval blockade — "meaningless diplomacy."
The humanitarian consequences of the conflict extend well beyond Iran's borders. Alexander De Croo, head of the UN Development Programme, told BBC Persian that even if the US-Israel war with Iran ended tomorrow, at least 32 million people worldwide would be pushed back into poverty as a result of the disruption.
Pahlavi: "Support Transitional Government"
According to the Iran International, the exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, speaking at a press conference in Berlin, urged the international community to raise human rights and internet access as core issues in any nuclear negotiations with the Islamic Republic. He called on European governments to expel Iranian ambassadors and support a transitional government, warning that figures like Mohammad-Bagher Qalibaf and Abbas Araghchi were not pragmatists but "a different face of the same killing machine" . Pahlavi argued that talks with the Islamic Republic would not lead to a stable outcome and that the regime would use any agreement to rebuild its strength.