ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar announced this week that Iran has allowed 20 more ships to pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway, noting the move would help usher stability in the conflict-ridden region. Iran’s threats and attacks on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz have raised the risk of transit enough to stop almost all traffic through the narrow waterway. The strategic waterway between Iran and Oman is the main conduit for roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil and natural gas, including fertilizers.

Officials in Tehran have drafted legislation to create a toll system where ships pay for safe passage through the waterway, Iranian media reported.

Many of the vessels willing to make the crossing are taking an alternative route through Iranian waters