Iran is preparing to introduce a new mechanism to regulate shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, including designated routes and service fees, that will be announced soon, the head of the Iranian parliament's national security committee Ebrahim Azizi said on Saturday.
"In this process, only commercial vessels and parties cooperating with Iran will benefit from it," he noted, adding that "the necessary fees will be collected for specialized services".
"This route will remain closed to the operators of the so-called 'freedom project'," he said, referring to a temporary U.S. military operation to guide stranded commercial ships through the strait.
Also on Saturday, Iranian state television said that European countries were in talks with Tehran over transit for ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
"Following the passage of ships from East Asian countries, notably China, Japan and Pakistan, we received information today indicating that Europeans have also begun negotiations with the Revolutionary Guards navy" to get permission to pass, state television reported, without specifying which countries.
