The International Maritime Organization rejected any restrictions on navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, and the Secretary-General of the organization, Arsenio Dominguez, said on Thursday that there is no room for maneuver in interpreting the rules of international law to restrict navigation in straits, after US President Donald Trump's remarks about the possibility of concluding trade agreements linked to these sea lanes.

Trump had proposed on Monday the idea of imposing a 20% fee on goods carried by ships through this strategic corridor, but he backed down the next day, indicating that he might replace this measure with trade agreements with allied countries.

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Dominguez said that there is no room for maneuver that allows some countries to interpret the rules of international law in order to introduce restrictions, and that there is no legal basis justifying the imposition of fees or royalties in these sea lanes.

Attempts to control the strait

The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, is one of the main routes for global energy trade. The International Maritime Organization, which held a meeting last week in London, considered that countries must reject Iran's attempts to exercise sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, as well as Tehran's unilateral decision to establish a body to supervise navigation in it.

About 18 sailors have been killed since the beginning of the war, including two since July 14, while about 6,000 remain stranded in the Gulf, according to the latest data from the organization, which was forced to halt evacuation operations at the end of June due to attacks.