DOHA, Qatar — Call it the world’s most dangerous toll booth.
Iran is forcing oil tankers to take a new route in the Strait of Hormuz through a narrow passage controlled by its Revolutionary Guard, with some ships charged millions of dollars to transit, according to maritime data shared with NBC News.
The new system — dubbed “the Tehran toll booth” by shipping industry experts — indicates Iran remains firmly in control of the critical waterway despite intense strikes on the country, and may be looking to cement that control over the longer term.
Before the U.S. and Israel launched their bombing campaign on Feb. 28, around 110 ships were passing through the Strait of Hormuz every day, data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence shows. Since then, that number has plummeted to fewer than 10 a day, according to the London-based maritime intelligence service.
Maritime traffic routes through the Strait of Hormuz betweenKeep reading this article on NBC News.
