Iran’s Strait Of Hormuz Authority Says US Sanctions Won’t Undermine Its Control Of Strategic Waterway

Iran’s newly established Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) has condemned US sanctions imposed on the body and said it will continue reviewing transit requests and issuing passage permits for vessels using the Strait of Hormuz.

The statement came after the US Treasury Department sanctioned the authority on Wednesday, accusing it of acting on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and collecting what Washington described as illegitimate tolls from commercial vessels passing through the strategic waterway.

In a statement issued on Friday, the PGSA said the sanctions would not help the United States gain control of the Strait of Hormuz.

“You failed to gain control of the Strait of Hormuz through military means and diplomacy, and you will not achieve it through sanctions either,” the authority said.

The body also criticised the sanctions, saying it considered being targeted by a country “whose president boasts about piracy” as a sign of its positive performance.

The PGSA said it continues to process transit requests and grant passage permits to what it described as “non-hostile” vessels despite what it called provocative US actions in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

It added that statistics covering its first month of operations would be released soon.

The US Treasury Department said the authority was created to manage requests from vessels seeking passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Washington, the body works with the IRGC and the IRGC Navy to direct vessel traffic and collect fees from ships using the waterway.

The US alleged that vessels are required to pay tolls and provide sensitive information in exchange for safe passage, with the revenue allegedly benefiting the IRGC.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the sanctions were part of Washington’s efforts to increase economic pressure on Iran and warned that parties dealing with the authority could face sanctions risks.

Tensions remain high between Iran and the United States after US and Israeli strikes on Iran earlier this year, followed by Iranian retaliatory attacks on Israel and US allies in the region.

Iran later introduced the PGSA as a new body to regulate and oversee vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

The authority recently defined the boundaries of its supervision area, saying it extends from the line connecting Kuh Mobarak in Iran and southern Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates at the eastern entrance of the strait to the line connecting Qeshm Island in Iran and Umm Al Quwain in the UAE to the west.

According to the PGSA, vessels operating within this area are required to coordinate with the authority and obtain transit permits.

The authority said it will continue its activities despite the sanctions, while the United States maintains that the measures are aimed at limiting Iran’s ability to generate revenue through the Strait of Hormuz.

The PGSA is expected to publish operational statistics from its first month of activity in the coming weeks.

References: ANI News, Press TV