Qatar has rejected proposals for permanent transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz, warning that such measures would ultimately drive up costs for consumers worldwide, Al Jazeera reports.
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani says Doha and its Gulf partners oppose any long-term toll system for ships passing through the strategic waterway.
“Qatar and also the partners in the Gulf stated very clearly that charging fees will always impact the consumer, so we are against this,” Sheikh Saoud says. “But for certain times that they say they will use it for mine-clearing or some usage of the fees for a temporary time, this is something that is negotiable.”
The comments come amid discussions between Iran and Oman over a potential framework for regulating traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy and trade routes.