The United States has imposed sanctions on Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), the body created by Tehran to manage vessel transit requests through the Strait of Hormuz and advance a permit-based passage regime.
The sanctions were announced on May 27 by the US Treasury Department, which added the PGSA to its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list through the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
According to the Treasury, any cooperation with the authority may be considered support for or receipt of services from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which remains under US sanctions.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Iran’s latest efforts to tighten control over maritime traffic reflected growing financial pressure on Tehran.
“The Iranian military’s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash,” Bessent said.
The move marks another escalation surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, which under normal conditions handles around one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
Last week, the PGSA published a map outlining its claimed “oversight zone” in the Strait and reaffirmed requirements for vessels to coordinate passage with Iranian authorities. Tehran has also floated the idea of transit tolls, with some reports suggesting fees could reach as much as $2 million per vessel.Iran says the new framework is intended to ensure shipping security, while the US and many maritime stakeholders view it as an attempt to establish administrative control over one of the world’s most strategically important maritime corridors.
