New Delhi, July 2 -- TEHRAN - There is a price list for the Strait of Hormuz. China pays nothing. Russia pays nothing. India, Iraq, and Pakistan pay nothing. Everyone else pays $2 million - per crossing.

vessels from China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan transit at no charge.

The exemption list is not a maritime services calculation. No member of Iran's preferred five requires more navigational assistance, environmental protection, or vessel insurance services than any other. The list tracks geopolitical alignment: each country either purchases Iranian oil under sanctions-era arrangements, maintains active diplomatic positioning against US-led pressure, or both. The $2 million toll is the operational form of the same calculation. Wha...