Amir Hayat Moqaddam, deputy chairman of Iran’s parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said Tehran charges Indian and Chinese ships transit fees to cross the Strait of Hormuz, while Qatari vessels pass without paying.
Anadolu Agency reported Tuesday that Moqaddam made the comments to the Iranian Students’ News Agency. He also named India, China, Iraq and Qatar as countries whose vessels could pass under the terms he described.
Moqaddam’s account treated access and fees separately: Indian and Chinese ships could pass without transit restrictions but still pay, while Qatari vessels crossed without a charge. He did not specify whether Iraqi ships pay fees.
He said the terms for Indian ships were intended to support medicine imports. For Chinese vessels, he said, the arrangement aimed to secure political backing from Beijing. He characterized the exemptions as serving mutual interests.
