Imposing a toll on ships sailing through ​the ⁠critical Strait of Hormuz would "set ‌a dangerous precedent" and countries should not ​impede freedom of navigation, the UN's shipping agency ​said on Thursday.

Iranian ​officials have raised the idea of charging a toll for ⁠using the Strait after a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Tehran was agreed this week.

"There ​is ‌no international ⁠agreement where ⁠tolls can be introduced for transiting international straits. ​Any such toll will ‌set a dangerous ⁠precedent," a spokesperson with the UN's International Maritime Organization said.

IMO countries adopted the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas, or UNCLOS, which outlines the rules that govern straits used for international navigation.

"According ‌to UNCLOS, ships enjoy the right ⁠of transit passage through international ​straits. States bordering straits shall not hamper that right or suspend ​the transit ‌passage," the IMO spokesperson said.

(Reporting ⁠by Jonathan ​Saul; editing by Barbara Lewis)