Iran, Oman to study charging service costs for Strait of Hormuz transit
Rubio says US won't accept tolls or fees in the Strait of Hormuz
Updated 6.40pm with US reaction below.
Oman and Iran will study the future administration of the Strait of Hormuz and the costs to be charged for services provided, they said in a joint statement Tuesday, insisting on sovereignty over the vital waterway.
The two countries emphasised "their sovereignty and sovereign rights over their territorial waters in the Strait of Hormuz" and "agreed to maintain their dialogue on this issue through a joint working group between the two foreign ministries in order to reach agreement on the future administration of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the services that will be provided in this regard and the costs associated with them in accordance with international standards".
The statement followed a high-level meeting between their top diplomats in Muscat, where Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also met Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq.
Rubio says US won't accept tolls or fees in Strait of Hormuz
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that no country is allowed to impose tolls or fees on the Strait of Hormuz.
"It's an international waterway. No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That's existing international law," he said as he arrived in the United Arab Emirates.
"I don't think we have anybody to convince around here in that regard. I think all the countries in this region would agree with us."