RCVP

For decades, Iran 🇮🇷 has kept the Strait of Hormuz completely open: 🔺 No tolls 🔺 No transit fees 🔺 No restrictions despite relentless sanctions, economic warfare, global demonization, and repeated threats to its sovereignty. Tehran never once weaponized or monetized this global chokepoint, through which 20% of the world's oil and a huge share of LNG flow. Even under crushing pressure, Iran upheld free passage for all nations without exception. Now compare that restraint to others who control vital waterways: 💵 Egypt charges $300,000–$1,000,000+ per transit via the Suez Canal (ultra-large tankers and container ships routinely hit seven figures). 💵 Panama levies $150,000–$500,000+ for the Panama Canal, with large Neopanamax vessels often exceeding half a million. 💵 Turkey imposes escalating fees on the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits (recently raised to $5.83 per net ton, generating hundreds of millions annually). 💵 Canada & the United States collect tolls on the St. Lawrence Seaway (per-ton charges plus vessel fees that add up quickly for commercial traffic). Yet Iran, the one country that NEVER charged a dime, is branded the ultimate villain, "terrorist state," and existential threat. After years of enduring unprovoked attacks on its soil, nuclear facilities, senior leaders, and interests, including direct U.S.-Israeli strikes during active negotiations where Tehran had already met core demands, Iran is now considering secure-passage fees for the first time. Lawmakers are drafting legislation to charge tolls/taxes as compensation for guaranteeing safety on a route Tehran has policed gratis for generations. Some vessels are already reportedly paying millions (e.g., $2M per tanker in select cases) for "safe corridor" access amid the conflict. Iran kept its word for decades. It only shifted stance after sustained, direct aggression shattered the status quo. So ask yourself honestly: Who are the real aggressors, and who are the actual terrorists, here?