By Abdulrahman Al-Rashed

The Strait of Hormuz has been opened, and Iran has begun to act as its policeman, controlling maritime traffic and speaking of levying fees. The White House denies this, insisting there are no tolls and that Iran had pledged as such, threatening the return of US warships anchored near the Gulf.

It appears one of the two parties is not telling the truth, or we are facing ambiguity due to differing interpretations of the agreement.

Even if Iran does not collect a single dollar in tolls, its control over the strait grants it extremely dangerous political authority. Tehran’s ultimate goal is to control the Gulf by installing itself as the decision-maker for allowing or denying oil tankers passage. This will later translate into all countries in the region, as well as importing countries worldwide, becoming subject to the decision of Iranian naval officers regarding selective passage or obstruction.

This will manifest when Iran has a dispute with any Gulf state, as it will then seek to prevent it from exporting under various pretexts. Tehran will also punish European or Asian importing countries by restricting shipments. It will use the strait to impose its policies on Gulf states and punish them whenever it wishes. Furthermore, Iran will impose unauthorized levies on vessels passing through. This is Tehran’s known behavior for decades: it abducts individuals on the street........

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