Greek PM says Iran toll on Hormuz passage 'completely unacceptable'

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called for free and secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz once the Iran war ends.

"I don't think that the international community would be ready to accept Iran setting up a toll booth for every ship that crosses the strait," Mitsotakis told US broadcaster CNN on Wednesday. "It seems to me to be completely unacceptable."

Greece has one of the world's largest merchant fleets by cargo capacity. After the United States and Israel launched large-scale attacks on Iran on February 28, Tehran's attacks and threats brought shipping in the strait nearly to a halt.

Ahead of planned negotiations with the US under the ceasefire, Iran suggested charging ships for safe passage through the waterway.

US President Donald Trump has floated the idea that the strait could be jointly secured by the US and Iran, though details remain unclear.

Mitsotakis said a separate international agreement on the strait may be needed, but it must not involve fees. "We would be setting a very, very dangerous precedent if that were to happen for the freedom of navigation, he warned.

The German government has also called for toll-free passage. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said the strait is not solely in Iranian waters and is governed by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. It is therefore necessary that free, safe and toll-free shipping is ensured once traffic resumes, the spokesman said.