BUT ALSO NO PRACTICAL WAY
But the real question is whether Iran could practically impose a toll, particularly given it has effectively halted most commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz for more than three months.
At first glance, there are obvious precedents. Ships pay to transit canals such as the Suez and Panama canals.
But these are fundamentally different waterways. They lie within the territory of a single state and are narrow, controlled transit routes. The navigable channel of the Suez Canal, for example, is typically around 200 metres wide.
The Strait of Hormuz is different. At its narrowest point it is approximately 39 kilometres across, including areas of both Omani and Iranian waters.
The scale of the waterway makes it far more difficult to physically stop, inspect and control vessels that refuse to pay a toll. Imposing a toll is one thing; enforcing it against unwilling ships is another entirely.
Ships transiting the Suez Canal enter via Port Said in the north or Suez in the south, then Suez Canal Authority pilots get onboard the vessels and join a tightly controlled convoy system for the transit.
The canal’s confined and highly regulated nature makes it virtually impossible for vessels to transit without complying with canal authorities and paying the required tolls.
For the Strait of Hormuz, international law aside, shipping companies and states are unlikely to voluntarily accept a permanent toll on transit through an international strait.
The issue is not simply cost, but the precedent it would set for freedom of navigation and the governance of straits around the world.