However all parties to the conflict sell the fate of the Strait of Hormuz after the June 17 MoU between Washington and Tehran, the undeniable fact is this: an international waterway carrying a fifth of the world’s oil that was the busiest but freest chokepoint on the planet before February 28 looks set to become a tolled sealanesoon, regardlessofhow fiercely the US insists on free passage and Iran circumvents the issue. The MoU, after all, seems to have only postponed the inevitable. Tehran agreed on safe, toll-free movement of commercial vessels but only for 60 days. Its stated objective of holding talks with Oman and other Gulf states over the future administration of the strait must be seen for what it is: securing legal cover for its extraction, which it was doing by force through the war. The Omani proposal of joint administration by Tehran and Muscat may seem akin to the system by which, say, the Malacca Strait is managed but the comparison falls through immediately.
