Think Tank Proposes 8-State Gulf Commons With Fees as Hormuz Dispute Chokes 20% of Oil
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 19
Think Tank Proposes 8-State Gulf Commons With Fees as Hormuz Dispute Chokes 20% of Oil
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 19
Summary
A London-based think tank proposed that the eight states bordering the Persian Gulf treat it as shared territory and levy only nominal fees on oil tankers.
The plan aims to ease the Strait of Hormuz standoff, where renewed Iranian strikes on commercial ships have slashed traffic and tightened pressure on roughly one-fifth of global oil supply.
Bourse & Bazaar Foundation said the arrangement could fit international law, give Tehran a form of enhanced control and give all Gulf states a direct stake in keeping the waterway peaceful.
U.S.-Iran diplomacy has largely stalled while forces on both sides continue trading attacks, and military experts say reopening the narrow passage by force during war would be costly and difficult.
The proposal draws on a now-defunct European coal-and-steel treaty model, framing basic maritime cooperation as a test of whether a more durable regional peace is still possible.