15JUN

Hormuz toll system carried 20 transits per day before ceasefire

1 min read

11:40UTC

Eleven flag states had paid the toll to transit by 5 April; the ceasefire ratifies the operating model.

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ConflictDeveloping

Key takeaway

The toll system Iran built was already running before the ceasefire; the ceasefire just labelled it.

The 20 daily transits across 11 flag states are the operational reality the ceasefire's 'coordinated passage' clause now ratifies. Iran's permanent customs authority over the strait, legislated in late March , turned out to be the architecture both sides have now signed onto.

The recovery from near-zero transits in late March to 20/day by 5 April happened through individual bilateral toll deals, not through any US enforcement action. Trump's Truth Social formulation that the US 'will be helping with the traffic buildup in the strait of Hormuz' aligns the rhetoric with the operating reality.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

Eleven countries had already been paying Iran for permission to send ships through the Strait of Hormuz before the ceasefire was signed. Twenty ships went through per day on 5 April, compared to about 138 a day before the war. The deal Trump just signed says Iran will keep doing exactly this for two weeks.

What could happen next?

Precedent
The toll system is operating practice and now codified in the ceasefire.

Sources:Seatrade Maritime

Mentions:Windward →Iraq →Malaysia →Philippines →France →Fars News →Iran →India →Truth Social →China →Oman →Japan →Russia →Strait of Hormuz →Thailand →Pakistan →

First Reported In

Update #62 · Two victories, two different lists

Seatrade Maritime· 8 Apr 2026

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Causes and effects

Caused by

Iran's Hormuz Toll Matures Into Permanent Institution

Iran's permanent customs authority over the Strait, legislated late March, was the architecture the ceasefire's coordinated-passage clause now ratifies.

Occurred 6 Apr 2026

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This Event

Hormuz toll system carried 20 transits per day before ceasefire

The operating universe of 'coordinated passage' before the ceasefire formalised it.

Led to

Seven Ships Cross Hormuz, No Oil Tankers

The 20/day transit level reached by 5 April (ID:2119) under the toll regime has been cut further by ceasefire Day 3 conditions — the ceasefire has reduced traffic rather than increased it.

Occurred 10 Apr 2026

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Hormuz trickle: five then seven vessels

The 5 and 7 vessel transit counts on 9-10 April are far below the 20 transits per day the toll regime was producing on 5 April, showing the ceasefire has produced fewer transits than the blockade.

Occurred 10 Apr 2026

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Different Perspectives

G7 Leaders (ex-US)

Kananaskis ended without a joint communique for the first time in the body's history; Macron credited G7 pressure with speeding the ceasefire while Trump publicly denied the summit played any role. The split between US and European G7 partners over what the memorandum means for sanctions relief was the direct cause of the text failure.

Protection-and-Indemnity insurers

London-based P&I mutual clubs declined to underwrite Hormuz crossings while the IRGC Strait Authority remained operational, making the passage commercially impassable regardless of the memorandum's terms. Shipping operators said they would wait weeks for on-water conditions to change before routing tankers through.

IRGC Persian Gulf Strait Authority

P&I mutual insurers declined to underwrite Hormuz crossings on 15-16 June while the IRGC's Strait Authority remained in operation, reducing actual transits to two vessels against a pre-war daily rate of 94. The corps' revenue-generating toll mechanism, created 5 May and collecting $1.5-2 million per VLCC in crypto, has not been stood down and cannot be dissolved by Ghalibaf's signature.

Israeli Cabinet

Netanyahu admitted he had not seen the memorandum's text but confirmed IDF forces would stay in southern Lebanon; Finance Minister Smotrich called for ten Beirut buildings destroyed per Hezbollah drone and National Security Minister Ben-Gvir said the agreement 'does not bind us in any way'. Israel signed nothing in Islamabad and is the central unresolved variable in the Lebanon clause.

Iranian Majlis hardliners

Around 60 MPs signed a letter demanding Ghalibaf explain the memorandum; Paydari faction MP Sabeti said the deal violates the Supreme Leader's red lines, and MP Aboutorabi argued the document carries binding obligations 'that cannot be resolved by simply changing the name'. President Pezeshkian defended the negotiators against accusations of betrayal, confirming the fracture inside Iran's political class.

US Vice President JD Vance

Vance signed on 15 June and said the memorandum was 'not conditioned on Israel withdrawing from Lebanon' while also saying it 'envisioned a ceasefire that covers both Iran and Lebanon'. The two formulations are incompatible and hand Iran's foreign minister a ready-made violation claim before Geneva.