IMO Condemns Strait of Hormuz Attacks and US Transit Fees

The International Maritime Organization adopted a resolution during its 137th session reaffirming the right of transit passage through international straits, specifically calling for unhindered and toll-free transit through the Strait of Hormuz. This action directly opposes an announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump to impose a 20% fee on goods passing through the waterway.

The resolution follows a sharp escalation on July 12, when Iran announced the closure of the strait and expanded attacks on neighboring Arab countries. In response, the United States intensified strikes and reimposed a naval blockade. Recent attacks in and around the Strait of Hormuz have killed at least two seafarers and wounded several others, leaving nearly 6,000 crew members stranded in the Persian Gulf.

Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez condemned these maritime attacks and a separate series of strikes against civilian merchant ships in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, noting they disrupt global supply chains. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warned that the disruptions to food and medicine flows have severe global socioeconomic and humanitarian consequences. The IMO Council has tasked Dominguez with exploring safety improvements in the Middle East, citing the cooperative management of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore as a model for regional collaboration.