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European Oil Markets
18MAY

Majlis approves Hormuz toll bill

2 min read
17:30UTC

A key Majlis committee approved the Hormuz toll bill, advancing legislation that would permanently ban US and Israeli vessels and require fees in Iranian rial from all other shipping. Once codified, the toll becomes reversible only through domestic political process ; no future ceasefire can unwind it.

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EconomicDeveloping
Key takeaway

Committee approval advances legislation that would make Hormuz's contested status a matter of Iranian domestic law, not merely military posture.

The Majlis committee approved the Hormuz toll legislation on 1 April, advancing a bill that permanently bans US and Israeli vessels from the strait and requires fees in Iranian rial from all other shipping. The bill had been drafted in parliament on Day 25, moved to committee stage on Day 32, and has now cleared committee. Full parliamentary vote, Guardian Council review, and presidential signature remain.

There is a fundamental difference between the IRGC imposing a toll because it controls a strait and the Iranian Parliament enacting a law that makes the toll a statutory requirement. The first is a military fact reversible by military defeat. The second is a legal instrument reversible only by domestic political process. Iran had already demanded Hormuz sovereignty as a formal peace condition ; the legislation converts that negotiating demand into permanent law.

The bill bans US and Israeli vessels explicitly and requires fees in Iranian rial, forcing buyers to transact in a sanctioned currency. The NPT withdrawal bill is advancing on the same legislative track . Both bills are designed to survive any ceasefire: a ceasefire can stop the shooting, but it cannot repeal domestic Iranian legislation.

The IRGC's toll system had already been operating since around Day 12, with Chinese state ships paying and crossing . Codifying the practice into permanent law removes any ambiguity about whether a future Iranian government could unilaterally rescind it. If Trump withdraws in two to three weeks without securing this bill's reversal, the US leaves behind a legal architecture that makes Hormuz permanently contested.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

The Iranian parliament is voting on a law that would permanently charge ships money to use the Strait of Hormuz ; a narrow channel through which about one in five barrels of the world's oil passes. Right now, Iran is blocking the strait militarily during the war. This law would make that blockade permanent and legal under Iranian law, even after the war ends. American and Israeli ships would be banned outright. This matters because there is a big difference between Iran blocking the strait with soldiers, which can be reversed, and Iran blocking it with a law, which can only be reversed by Iran itself choosing to change the law.

Deep Analysis
Root Causes

The toll bill was drafted as a direct response to US and Israeli strikes on Iranian infrastructure. It converts an emergency military response into a permanent economic instrument, institutionalising the leverage Iran discovered it holds over global energy markets.

What could happen next?
  • Precedent

    First instance of a state attempting to codify transit fees for an international strait into domestic law, potentially triggering a global UNCLOS legal challenge.

    Long term · Assessed
  • Consequence

    A ceasefire that leaves the Hormuz toll law in place fails to address the economic cause of the oil price spike.

    Medium term · Assessed
  • Risk

    Guardian Council and presidential signature stages create multiple veto points, but each ratification stage makes repeal politically harder.

    Short term · Reported
Sources:US Treasury OFAC·US Treasury OFAC·OPEC / CNBC
Mentions:Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) →Strait of Hormuz Toll System →Majlis →
First Reported In

Update #54 · Trump declares victory and withdrawal

US Treasury OFAC· 1 Apr 2026
Read original →
Causes and effects
Caused by
Majlis codifies Hormuz toll in law
Majlis committee approval advances the toll legislation that began as draft law on 27 March (ID:1751).
Occurred 31 Mar 2026
Read story →
This Event
Majlis approves Hormuz toll bill
The Hormuz toll, if enacted into law, transforms a military tactic into a sovereign legal right. No ceasefire agreement can override domestic Iranian law without Iran's consent, converting the strait's status into a permanent diplomatic problem.
Led to
Philippines Cuts Bilateral Hormuz Deal, Bypassing US Posture
Iran's Hormuz toll legislation created the economic pressure that prompted Manila to negotiate a bilateral exemption, the first crack in the collective allied posture.
Occurred 2 Apr 2026
Read story →
Omani Vessels Bypass IRGC Corridor, Disable Trackers
IRGC toll codification prompted Omani vessels to seek the traditional international channel, suggesting an undisclosed bilateral arrangement similar to the Philippines deal.
Occurred 2 Apr 2026
Read story →
Different Perspectives
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Greek shipping registries
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