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The United States Treasury Department announced sanctions Wednesday on Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority, the new Tehran agency that collects fees for traveling through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
“The Iranian military’s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
The statement extended the threat of sanctions to anyone paying the fees, because they “may be providing support to and receiving services from” Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and therefore may “be exposed to sanctions risk.”
“Treasury has deprived the Iranian regime of revenue for their weapons programs, terrorist proxies, and nuclear ambitions,” Bessent said.
The statement said the U.S. has succeeded in disrupting “tens of billions of dollars’ worth of revenue from being accessible” to Tehran.
In a social media post on May 20, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority issued a map to define its “regulatory jurisdiction,” demarcating red lines on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz that require Iran’s authorization for passage.
U.S. and Iranian forces have observed a ceasefire since April 8 while diplomats push for a negotiated settlement, but Iran’s controls have tightened on Gulf shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. has launched strikes on Iranian targets in recent days.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Monday that Tehran will continue to manage traffic through the strategic strait and insisted Iran is collecting fees for “navigational services,” rather than imposing tolls.
