Iran International Reports Special Terms for Russia and China
Iran may offer Russian- and Chinese-linked vessels either full exemptions from future Strait of Hormuz charges or significantly more favorable terms than those applied to ships from other countries.
Iran International reported the claim on August 4, citing an i24NEWS report based on Western intelligence officials. According to that assessment, Chinese and Russian vessels could receive full exemptions or preferential treatment, while other countries — particularly those aligned with the United States — would be required to pay.
The intelligence assessment also said the incentives were intended to deepen Moscow and Beijing’s economic and strategic interest in preserving Iranian influence over the waterway. This claim, however, comes from an intelligence assessment reported by media rather than from a formally published Iranian tariff regime.
Russia Was Promised Preferential Treatment in April
In Russia’s case, the proposal has additional public confirmation.
Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali said in April that Tehran had provided exceptions to some “friendly countries” and was seeking to apply transit-fee exemptions to Russian vessels. He also cautioned that the eventual system could still change.
This means preferential treatment for Russian shipping did not first emerge in the August Iran International report. Iranian officials had publicly discussed such an arrangement months earlier.
If implemented, an exemption could reduce the cost of Russian shipping through one of the world’s most important energy and trade corridors should Iran succeed in establishing a paid transit system.
China Has Been Promised “Special Considerations”
Official language concerning China has so far been more cautious and does not clearly establish a complete exemption.
On July 5, Iran’s ambassador to China, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, said Tehran intended to charge for certain services associated with security and navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. He added that China and other “friendly countries” would receive “special considerations” when the type and level of those charges were determined.
It would therefore be premature to state that China has already been formally granted a complete exemption. What has been publicly confirmed is preferential treatment for Beijing, while the Iran International report says the eventual arrangement could range from reduced charges to full exemption.
K2Cargo.News previously examined the emerging system in Iran Proposes New Shipping Rules for the Strait of Hormuz.
No Final Fee System Has Yet Been Agreed
Despite reports about preferential treatment, a unified Hormuz payment regime has not yet been finalized.
On August 10, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran and Muscat were not currently discussing the detailed structure of transit fees as part of negotiations over a new shipping mechanism.
The discussions instead cover shipping routes, safe passage, environmental matters, maritime services and other operational issues.
Baghaei nevertheless maintained Iran’s broader position that compensation could be charged for maritime services. That differs fundamentally from the U.S. position, which opposes mandatory payments merely for transit through an international strait.
Reuters previously reported, citing a senior Iranian source, that Tehran had considered charges equal to 5% to 7% of cargo value. Discussions around an Omani proposal involved a figure of around 3%, while Washington continues to insist on no mandatory charges. None of these figures currently constitutes a final tariff.
Intelligence Says Iran’s New Leader Views Hormuz as a Strategic Asset
Another significant element of the Iran International report concerns Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
According to the i24NEWS report citing Western intelligence officials, Khamenei views Hormuz more as an Iranian strategic asset than as an unrestricted international shipping lane. The assessment described his approach as more hardline than that of his late father, Ali Khamenei.
This should not be presented as a direct public statement from Khamenei. It is an intelligence assessment reported by the media.
However, it is broadly consistent with positions publicly advanced by Iranian officials throughout 2026, as Tehran has sought a significantly greater role in managing vessels and navigation through the strait.
Mojtaba Khamenei succeeded his father following the latter’s death at the start of the conflict in February 2026. Reuters has also reported a strengthening of hardline figures within Iran’s security establishment under the new Supreme Leader.
Russia and China Already Backed Iran at the UN
Potential shipping preferences are emerging amid broader political alignment between Tehran, Moscow and Beijing over Hormuz.
On April 7, Russia and China vetoed a Bahrain-sponsored UN Security Council resolution encouraging states to coordinate measures to protect commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Eleven of the 15 Council members voted in favor.
Russia and China argued that the measure was biased and risked further escalation, while Iran welcomed their decision.
Against that backdrop, preferential commercial treatment for Russian and Chinese ships would fit Tehran’s broader strategic approach. It would still be speculative, however, to describe the exemptions as a direct reward for political support because none of the governments has publicly established such a quid pro quo.
International Law Complicates Discriminatory Fees
Any attempt to establish different charges based on the nationality or affiliation of ships would also create a significant legal dispute.
Under the international transit-passage regime, coastal states cannot charge vessels simply for the right to navigate an international strait. Charges can be imposed for specific services such as pilotage, towing or port operations, but such fees cannot be applied more heavily to vessels from particular states.
Neither Iran nor the United States is a party to UNCLOS, although the international rules governing transit passage are widely treated as part of international maritime law. Before the current conflict, ships navigated Hormuz without mandatory transit fees of this kind.
A system in which Russia and China pay nothing while vessels from other countries are charged a percentage of cargo value would therefore become one of the most contested elements of any future Hormuz arrangement.
For Shipping Companies, the Problem Goes Beyond the Fee
Even if Iran and Oman agree on some form of payment mechanism, shipowners could face serious sanctions and insurance complications.
Reuters reports that the United States has sanctioned Iran’s newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which Tehran established to administer shipping through the waterway. Payments involving the body could therefore create sanctions-compliance risks for international operators.
The marine insurance market has also introduced clauses that can terminate war-risk cover when a vessel pays certain Iranian Hormuz transit fees. Shipping industry sources have consequently described the proposed system as extremely difficult to implement in practice.
Operators could effectively face a choice between complying with Iranian payment requirements and risking sanctions or loss of insurance, or refusing to pay and potentially losing assured access through the waterway.
For Russian and Chinese companies, a fee exemption could therefore offer more than simple cost savings. It could also remove some of the legal and insurance complications directly associated with making the payment.
Hormuz Traffic Has Fallen to Just Six Vessels a Day
The significance of the dispute is particularly clear from current shipping levels.
Kpler data cited by Reuters showed that only six vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on August 10, compared with a 10-day average of around 11.
Before the war, approximately 130 to 140 ships typically crossed the strait each day.
The debate is therefore not simply about adding another tariff to a normally functioning shipping route. Full commercial navigation has yet to recover, while the Iran-Oman talks form part of an effort to establish a new operating framework for the waterway.
Before the conflict, roughly one-fifth of global oil and LNG shipments passed through Hormuz, making any change in access rules a direct issue for Gulf energy exports and international supply chains.
Preferential Terms Could Reshape Competitive Conditions
If the reported system is ultimately implemented, its impact would extend beyond Iranian relations with Russia and China.
Carriers eligible for exemptions or lower charges could gain a cost advantage over competitors required to include a new Hormuz fee in voyage economics.
The difference could become significant if charges amounting to several percent of cargo value were introduced. For oil, LNG and other high-value commodities, even a relatively small percentage could translate into substantial costs.
Differentiated treatment could consequently influence shipowners, commodity traders, chartering decisions and potentially the corporate structures or flags used in Hormuz-linked trades.
At the same time, attempts to impose new costs and controls could accelerate investment in pipelines, terminals and alternative transport corridors designed to reduce dependence on the strait.
The Final System Depends on the Iran-Oman Agreement
For now, the most accurate description is not that Russia and China have already been universally exempted from a new Hormuz toll, but that Iran is developing a policy of preferential treatment for selected partners.
For Russia, the possibility of exemption was publicly confirmed by Iran’s ambassador in April. For China, an Iranian official has promised “special considerations,” while the claim that both countries could receive complete exemptions comes from the Iran International report citing i24NEWS and Western intelligence officials.
At the same time, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on August 10 that the specific structure of transit charges was not yet being discussed in detail with Oman.
The key question for global shipping is therefore not only what benefits Russia and China may receive, but whether Iran can establish a mandatory fee and control system that other governments, insurers and international shipping companies can actually accept.
Read also: Analytical Report: The Blockade of the Strait of Hormuz During the U.S.-Israeli War Against Iran
