Iran and Oman are allegedly in talks about establishing a permanent toll system to formalize control of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that “no country” should accept any tolling system. According to Fox News, Rubio said that any Iranian tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz would be considered “illegal.” “They’re trying to convince Oman, by the way, to join them in this tolling system in an international waterway. There is not a country in the world that should accept that. I don’t know of a country in the world that’s in favor of it, except Iran, but there’s no country in the world that should accept it,” Rubio said, according to the outlet. “I don’t know of anyone in the world that should be in favor of a tolling system in an international waterway, that’s just not acceptable. It can’t happen,” he continued. Watch below: Marco Rubio: Iran is trying to create a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz, and they are trying to convince Oman to join them in this tolling system. pic.twitter.com/Azoj4skaYC — Clash Report (@clashreport) May 22, 2026 “If that were to happen in the Strait of Hormuz, it will happen in five other places around the world. Why would countries all over the world say, ‘Well, we want to do this too’? Not to mention how vital and critical that strait is to every country represented here today, but frankly, to countries not represented here today, particularly the Indo-Pacific,” Rubio added. Rubio made the comments at a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Sweden. Breaking News: Iran and Oman are in talks over a payment system for ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, despite warnings from the Trump administration. https://t.co/IuBux7BHnV — The New York Times (@nytimes) May 22, 2026 More from The New York Times: It is unclear whether anything concrete will come out of the discussions. But the talks appear to signal that the United States and Iran are no closer to ending a war that has badly damaged the global economy despite repeated claims to the contrary by President Trump. At least publicly, neither side has shown a willingness to compromise. After coming under attack by American and Israeli forces in late February, Iran brought commercial traffic in the strait to a near halt, crippling international shipping and driving up energy prices. With its leverage over the global economy established, Iranian officials began discussing ways to maintain a hold on the waterway and use it to generate revenue. On Wednesday, amid the discussions with Oman, Iran’s newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority said on social media that it had “defined the boundaries of the Strait of Hormuz management supervision area” and that passage would require a permit from the authority. The Gulf of Oman is adjacent to the strait and needs to be traversed before reaching it from the east. Mr. Trump has at various points over recent months condemned the possibility of any Iranian tolls and floated the notion that the United States could itself charge them as the self-declared winner of the war. He also suggested that the revenue might be shared. On Thursday, he dismissed the notion of any payment for passage through the strait. “We want it free,” he said, speaking in the Oval Office. “We don’t want tolls. It’s international. It’s an international waterway.” “Iran and Oman must mobilize all their resources both to provide security services and to manage navigation in the most appropriate manner,” said Mohammad Amin-Nejad, the Iranian ambassador to France, according to Bloomberg. “This will entail costs, and it goes without saying that those who wish to benefit from this traffic must also pay their share,” he continued. “And if today there is any desire for the situation to improve, a solution must be found to tackle the root of the problem,” he added. While attempts at negotiating with the U.S. continue, Iran is already making its next move. Tehran created a "Persian Gulf Strait Authority," drew its own boundaries around the Strait of Hormuz, and is now in active talks with Oman over a fee system for vessel passage.… https://t.co/sjaqfZfIRZ pic.twitter.com/8AEqVagll6 — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 22, 2026 Bloomberg shared further: Situated between Iran to its north and Oman to the south, the strait connects the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean and normally handles a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, as well as other commodities such as aluminum and fertilizers. Iran has been letting through few vessels while the US navy has been blockading Iranian ports since April 13. That’s caused energy prices to soar and sparked a global selloff of government bonds as inflationary pressures mount. Amin-Nejad insisted that traffic hasn’t been completely interrupted and Iran has claimed, without giving evidence, that 26 tankers and other ships transited between Tuesday and Wednesday with the help of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. That would be an unusually high number for recent weeks, but still far below pre-war levels of roughly 135 ships a day. Amin-Nejad blamed exorbitant insurance costs for the decline, though shipping companies say the risk of missile and drone attacks, as well as hitting sea mines, is the main problem. Most say they won’t send vessels through the strait until the war’s over.