Washington targets Iran’s toll-collection body for the Strait of Hormuz, escalating pressure amid ongoing geopolitical tensions in the key oil chokepoint.
The US Treasury sanctioned Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority, the entity managing vessel transit requests and tolls through the Strait of Hormuz. The move aims to disrupt Iran’s revenue from the critical waterway, which handles roughly 20% of global oil supply.
Iran established the authority after closing the strait in late February following US and Israeli military operations. Tehran has since reasserted claims over a broad stretch of the waterway, publishing a map last week to underscore its position. The sanctions follow repeated confrontations near Bandar Abbas.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated the action reinforces Washington’s maximum pressure campaign on Tehran, targeting its toll regime directly. Markets monitor the strait’s stability as disruptions could tighten global oil supplies.