Iran’s Hormuz toll threat lays bare Asia’s energy vulnerability

Iran’s threat to impose tolls on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz is stirring concern far beyond the Gulf, sharpening fears that one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints could be used as political leverage rather than governed by international rules.The concern is especially acute in Asia, which remains heavily reliant on Middle East energy supplies and exposed to any disruption in the waterway, through which nearly a fifth of the world’s oil passes.Analysts warn that any attempt to turn access into a paid or politically conditioned passage could unsettle maritime law far beyond the Gulf, raising questions over how other strategic shipping lanes are governed.