Iran starts to formalize its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz with a ‘toll booth’ regime - AP News

Iran is establishing a formal system to tax or charge vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical shipping lanes through which roughly one-fifth of global oil passes. The "toll booth" regime represents a formalization of Iran's longstanding efforts to leverage its geographic control of the waterway as a tool of coercion and revenue generation. This move could disrupt global energy markets and trade, given the strait's importance to international commerce and oil supplies. The system reflects Iran's broader strategy to assert dominance over regional maritime chokepoints amid tensions with the United States and Western allies. The measure risks escalating maritime tensions and could provoke countermeasures from shipping nations dependent on free passage through the waterway.