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Rubio: Gulf countries don’t support Strait of Hormuz tolls

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Gulf nations oppose any toll on the Strait of Hormuz, calling it an international waterway where no country may charge fees. His remarks follow preliminary US-Iran talks and a reported 60-day safe-passage stipulation, with South Korea closely monitoring the situation due to trapped vessels.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 outlet · 1 article Version 1 Coverage Jun 23, 2026 Published Aug 15

Lead

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said all Gulf countries oppose a toll in the Strait of Hormuz, during a regional tour that followed US-Iran talks. Speaking in Abu Dhabi, Rubio asserted, "There isn't a nation on Earth that supports having to pay money to go through the straits." He also underscored the waterway's legal status, saying, "It's an international waterway. No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That's existing international law. That's the way it is in international waters all over the world."

Coverage comparison

Al Jazeera reported Rubio's statement that all Gulf countries oppose a toll in the Strait of Hormuz, quoting him directly on the lack of global support for paying to transit the straits. The outlet framed the remarks in the context of the US-Iran talks that preceded his regional tour.

Yonhap News Agency, in a dispatch from Washington, provided additional context, detailing that Rubio made his remarks during a press availability in Abu Dhabi, amid concerns that Iran could charge a fee on ships transiting the strait in the future. Yonhap also reported on the relevant international law, noting that the Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway where no country is allowed to charge tolls or fees.

Key claims

Rubio said all Gulf countries oppose a toll in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that no nation on Earth supports paying to go through the straits.
He stated that the Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway and that no country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on it, citing existing international law.
A preliminary peace deal between Washington and Tehran, reportedly reached last week, stipulates safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz "with no charge for 60 days only," according to Yonhap.
South Korea, along with other countries, has been closely watching the US-Iran negotiations, hoping for the restoration of free and safe passage through the strait, which is a key shipping route for oil, natural gas, fertilizer, and other commodities.
Currently, 22 South Korea-linked vessels remain trapped inside the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had all but closed during the US-Israeli war against it, Yonhap reported.

Perspectives

US State Department

Secretary Rubio asserts that no country may charge tolls on the Strait of Hormuz, as it is an international waterway under existing international law.

Iran (implied)

While not directly quoted, the concern that Iran could charge a fee on ships transiting the strait is central to the coverage, and the preliminary peace deal reportedly includes a limited 60-day no-charge provision.

South Korea

Seoul and other nations are monitoring the negotiations closely, hoping for free and safe passage, as 22 South Korea-linked vessels remain trapped in the strait.

How this outlet told it

Yonhap News — English as of Jun 23, 2026, 9:30 PM UTC

Framing: US stance on Strait of Hormuz tolls — informative

Facts Included:

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statement on opposition to tolls in the Strait of Hormuz
Details on the preliminary peace deal between Washington and Tehran
Specifics on the 60-day stipulation for safe passage
International law regarding tolls on international waterways
South Korea's interest in the negotiations and trapped vessels

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimA preliminary peace deal between Washington and Tehran stipulates safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz with no charge for 60 days.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Yonhap News — English as of Jun 23, 2026, 9:30 PM UTC
ClaimThe Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway, and no country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on it.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Yonhap News — English as of Jun 23, 2026, 9:30 PM UTC
ClaimSouth Korea and other countries have been closely watching developments in the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, hoping that the peace talks would lead to the restoration of free and safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Yonhap News — English as of Jun 23, 2026, 9:30 PM UTC
Claim22 South Korea-linked vessels remain trapped inside the Strait of Hormuz.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Yonhap News — English as of Jun 23, 2026, 9:30 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

2 outlets · 2 articles consulted: Al Jazeera, Yonhap News — English 6 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-15