Iran confirms strait transit fee, vows spl treatment to ‘friends’

Iran’s ambassador to China said Tehran would introduce service fees for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, with countries that backed Iran during the recent conflict receiving preferential treatment, reports said.

At the World Peace Forum in Beijing on Saturday, Ambassador Abdolreza Rah­mani Fazli said Iran was working with Oman on new arrangements to manage traffic through the waterway. 

Under the agreement that ended the recent conflict between Iran and the US, commercial vessels were allowed to pass through the strait free of charge for 60 days. It remains unclear what system will replace the temporary arrangement after that period. “As a country where the Hormuz is part of its territorial waters, we will definitely charge service fees,” Fazli said, adding, the charges should not be viewed as a “toll”. He said the fees would cover services such as ensuring safe passage, monitoring ship movements and addre­ssing the environmental imp­act of heavy maritime traffic.

“We will definitely consider special treatment for the countries that were friendly to us and stood by us during the hard times,” Fazli said.

Trump questions grief, says ‘maybe fake tears’

US President Donald Trump has sparked fresh controversy after questioning if the emotional scenes at the state funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reflected genuine grief or “fake tears”. In an interview with Axios, Trump said he had expected many Iranians to resent Khamenei over years of political repression and economic hardship.

“I thought the Iranians hated Khamenei. Maybe it’s fake tears,” Trump said. Trump suggested Iran’s leadership would be gathered in one place during the funeral and could theoretically be targeted with “one shot”. However, he said the US would not carry out such an attack as it wanted to preserve the possibility of future negotiations with Iran.

His remarks drew sharp criticism from Iranian officials and state-linked figures, who accused him of insulting mourners and failing to understand Iranian culture and the significance of public mourning. Local media described the comments as disrespectful and inflammatory during a national mourning.

Next round of US-Iran talks in Pak?

Islamabad: Pakistan’s capital Islamabad is emerging as the leading venue for the next round of technical negotiations between the US and Iran, a report said on Sunday. “There are two possible venues for the technical talks — Islamabad and the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland,” a diplomatic source said. “Islamabad, however, is the more likely option.”