Italy rejects ‘any kind of toll’ in straits worldwide

Rome: Italy’s government opposes any charges on shipping in straits where there are no man-made structures, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump announced a 20 per cent levy on all cargo vessels to ensure their safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

“We are in favour of freedom of navigation; we oppose any kind of toll in straits where there are no man-made structures,” Tajani told reporters at the foreign ministry.

Tajani’s comments came after Trump said on Monday that the United States was reinstating a naval blockade on Iran and would be “reimbursed at the rate of 20 per cent on all cargo shipped” for “costs incurred” in guaranteeing safe passage through Hormuz, Italian news agency Adnkronos reported.

“Take Suez or Panama, for example, where there are man-made canals. There it’s fair to pay a toll, but imposing tolls for passage elsewhere sets a dangerous precedent, because tolls would then spring up all over the world,” said Tajani.

For an exporter like Italy (whose exports account for 40 per cent of GDP), paying tolls to transit straits “is certainly absolutely unacceptable,” Tajani said.

“The basic principle is that of freedom of navigation, which we uphold. Therefore, we oppose any tolls for passage through straits,” he concluded.

The Baltic and International Maritime Council, the world’s largest shipping association, has warned that any US-imposed tariffs could further reduce traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz waterway and oil conduit, which it said has already ground to a halt again in recent days.

On Tuesday, Trump said that wealthy Gulf nations should reimburse the United States for protecting one of the world’s most strategically important regions, arguing that Washington is bearing the cost of defending allies despite no longer depending on Middle Eastern oil.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said countries benefiting from US military operations should help finance those efforts.

“I want to be reimbursed because we’re protecting a very rich portion of the world.”

Trump said the United States was safeguarding key regional partners while maintaining security in the Gulf.

He named Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait among countries benefiting from American military protection.

IANS