Iran prepares to collect tolls on the Strait of Hormuz, Malaysia admits its ships are free to pay

JAKARTA - Malaysia has denied reports that energy-carrying ships that have passed through the Strait of Hormuz must pay a toll to Iran.

"We will not pay any toll as some netizens online may have misunderstood. We don't pay anything," Malaysian Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said at a regular press conference according to Reuters, Wednesday, April 1.

Many tankers have been stranded near the strait, which is a route for 20 percent of global energy supplies, after Iran turned the vital Middle East waterway into a war zone following the US-Israeli attack.

So far, the tanker ships that have passed through the Strait of Hormuz amid the heating up of the conflict in the Middle East come from countries that are not affiliated with the US-Israel.

The Iranian parliament is currently still drafting a bill (RUU) regarding plans to set tariffs for ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz.

An important commission in the Iranian parliament, the National Security Commission, has approved the plan. However, it requires the full vote of the Iranian Parliament through a voting system to start implementing import tariffs or toll fees for ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz.