Hormuz tankers redirected through $2m ‘Tehran toll booth’

2503 Hormuz tankers redirected

Iran is allowing vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz if they pay up to $2m to its “Tehran toll booth”.

At least 20 vessels have taken the Iran-approved route through the regime’s territorial waters, according to analysis by Lloyd’s List Intelligence.

The diversion, which threads Iran’s Qeshm and Larak Islands and hugs the southern coastline, has been nicknamed the “Tehran toll booth”.

It is understood that at least two ships have paid for “safe” passage through the shipping corridor, with one fee standing at around $2m (£1.52m).

The strait serves as a conduit for a fifth of the world’s oil. It has been largely closed off by Iran, stifling supply and forcing prices up.

 

Donald Trump previously threatened to target Iran’s power plants if restrictions on the strait continued beyond Monday.

However, the US president later announced a five-day ceasefire on the energy sites after claiming he had held positive peace talks with Iran.

Mr Trump should “consider striking” Larak Island if Iran is using it as part of the “Tehran toll booth”, a former US official has said.

Max Meizlish, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, a conservative think tank, previously worked as a sanctions enforcement officer at the Treasury department’s office of foreign assets control.

Mr Meizlish told The Telegraph: “I would urge the White House to assess whether Iran’s Larak Island is serving as a validation point for vessels the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] is authorising to transit through Iran’s territorial waters and into the Gulf of Oman.

“Open-source intelligence suggests the island hosts military assets, and if those assets are supporting this scheme, president Trump should consider striking them.”

On Monday, US intelligence officials said Iran had laid at least a dozen mines in the strait, including Maham 3 and Maham 7 limpets, which would need careful extraction before safe travel could resume for all ships.

Super tankers, specifically very large crude carriers (VLCCs), typically hold around 2 million barrels of oil.

1203 The sea mines Iran could use to block the Strait of Hormuz

A Chinese-owned feeder container ship was said to be the first vessel to pay the regime for passage over the weekend.

Lloyd’s List also reported that two “zombie” tankers had passed through the diverted route while assuming the identity of scrapped or decommissioned vessels.

Analysis of data by the site found that at least 16 vessels had crossed the strait since Friday, with 13 headed east out of the Gulf and three entering westbound.

Twelve were tracked passing through the diverted route via the maritime tracking system automatic identification system (AIS).

Lloyd’s List said that three vessels did not have enough AIS data to assess their route or transit date with confidence.

Meanwhile, a fourth Iran-flagged bulker transited the strait but stopped near Larak Island.

Increased traffic on the route is likely to be linked to diplomatic agreements made between Iran and other nations.

Two India-flagged carriers signalled their Indian ownership via their AIS display.

India’s ministry of shipping said the two ships, carrying more than 92,600 tons of liquefied petroleum gas, had transited and were scheduled to reach ports in the country between March 26 and 28.

Gas shortages in India, where petroleum is used for cooking, have become a fevered political issue, forcing the government to engage in talks with Tehran.

On Monday, Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, told the parliament in New Delhi: “Our government’s effort has been to ensure that the supply of petrol, diesel and gas is not excessively disrupted, and that ordinary families in the country face as little trouble as possible.”

After his claim of having “very good and productive” talks with Iran, Mr Trump declared he would “jointly control” the strait with the ayatollahs.

However, Iran’s embassy in South Africa posted an image on X showing a child’s pink steering wheel in front of the passenger seat, apparently mocking the US president’s comments.

Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil, was up 2.8 per cent at nearly $103 a barrel on Tuesday morning, amid reports that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were considering joining the war.