US has no authority to meddle in Hormuz – Iranian professor

The US has “no responsibility” to intervene in the management of the Strait of Hormuz, located nearly 11,000 km (6,835 miles) from its borders, University of Tehran political communication professor Foad Izadi has told RT.

The strategic waterway has become a major sticking point in US-Iran peace talks, with Washington maintaining a blockade on Iranian ports and Tehran establishing control over naval traffic and charging for passage through the strait.

“The US has no responsibility in this part of the world. The US is a coastal state to the Gulf of Mexico… almost 11,000 kilometers away,” Izadi told RT in an interview on Tuesday, insisting that only Iran has the responsibility to “provide security” in the Strait of Hormuz.

There are no international waters in the key freight corridor, as it is divided between Iranian and Omani territorial waters under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), he said.

There are legal precedents for nations charging fees from vessels traversing their territorial waters, Izadi said.

“Australia, Canada, Denmark, Turkey, they all collect fees for countries that are members of the UNCLOS… They call it pilotage fees,” he said, adding that some charges are imposed for “environmental reasons.” Countries like Türkiye, which isn’t a signatory to the convention, “just call it passage fee,” he said.

Izadi stressed that there is “no legal prohibition” on Tehran from doing the same.

“Since Iran wants to be friendly, they are going to do what Australia and Canada and Denmark are doing already,” he said.

Watch the full interview below: