U.S. Sanctions Iran’s ‘Persian Gulf Strait Authority’ as Hormuz Transit Fight Escalates

The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday formally sanctioned Iran’s so-called Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), accusing the organization of working with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to extort commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The action by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) marks a major escalation in Washington’s response to Iran’s emerging effort to impose a permission-based transit regime in one of the world’s most strategically important shipping chokepoints.

According to Treasury, the PGSA is coordinating directly with the IRGC and IRGC Navy to force vessels to follow Iranian-designated routes near Iran’s coastline while charging illegitimate fees