Iran restates Hormuz toll priority

A senior Iranian official has reiterated to CNN that the country will prioritize passage through the Strait of Hormuz for ships that pay tolls. This restates a policy announced earlier, which conditions safe transit on payment for "security and safety services." The statement comes amid an ongoing closure of the strait by Iran's IRGC Navy and a U.S. naval blockade, creating a volatile standoff in the world's most critical oil chokepoint. The toll system is presented as a mechanism for managing maritime traffic under Iran's asserted authority over the waterway.