U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to members of the media before boarding a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft en route to Bahrain at Kuwait International Airport during his visit to the Middle East to discuss the interim deal between the US and Iran with Arab Gulf allies, in Kuwait City, June 24. AFP-Yonhap
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that charging tolls on the Strait of Hormuz will not happen, amid reports that Iran seeks to establish a mechanism with Oman to regulate traffic in the crucial waterway.
Rubio made the remarks during a press availability in Kuwait, reiterating U.S. President Donald Trump's opposition to the idea of Iran imposing a fee on shipping through the strait, which the secretary has called an "international waterway."
Concerns have continued that Tehran could seek to assert its control over the strait as last week's preliminary peace deal between Washington and Tehran stipulates safe passage of vessels through the waterway "with no charge for 60 days only."
"I think the whole world will be against any mechanism that charges money to use an international waterway. It's that simple. The president's already said that that's not going to happen," Rubio told reporters.
