A deputy head of the Center for Lawyers for International Affairs at Iran’s
judiciary said international arguments that Iran lacks authority to levy strait
service fees typically cite the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
(UNCLOS). He said Iran is not a party to UNCLOS and therefore not bound by its
transit passage regime. He added that under international maritime law charging
for actual, defined services is recognized as lawful and Iran may charge fees
for services it provides so long as the charge is a service payment rather than
a tax or a pure transit fee.
