60 Countries Oppose Tolls on Shipping Straits

Sixty countries on Oct. 12, 2026, backed the European Union's "No Fees, No Tolls" pledge opposing unlawful fees, tolls and other restrictions on navigation through international straits. All EU members plus 33 other countries, including Australia, Japan, the UK, Canada and Singapore, joined. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on X that international navigation must remain open to everyone, not to whoever can pay, and called the pledge a diplomatic signal against hijacking waterways for gain. The text invokes the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and commits signatories to work through the International Maritime Organisation. The initiative lands amid disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, between Iran and Oman, which before a war that began Feb. 28 carried about a fifth of global oil and LNG and saw about 125 large commercial vessels cross daily. Mohammadreza Naqdi said the strait is closed and Iranian forces have full control until Iran's demands are met; he also referred to a southern passage near Oman used by small boats he said were smuggling oil. Kpler recorded seven commodity vessels on Oct. 6, the lowest since July 23, and 10 on Oct. 7. On Oct. 11, Mohsen Rezaei called the US response to Iran's seven conditions—including ending hostilities, lifting a US naval blockade and unfreezing Iranian assets—insufficient. Reopening terms between Tehran and Washington remain unresolved.