US Bars Citizens From Any Dealings With Iran for Passage Through Hormuz Strait

The US government said it will bar Americans from entering into any agreements with Iran for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, whether or not a toll is paid.

In a statement on May 29, the Treasury Department said US persons must not use any services provided by the Iranian government, including safe-passage services, regardless of whether they pay a transit fee.

That means Americans are prohibited not only from paying Iran for passage through the strait, but also from communicating with the Iranian government to obtain security guarantees for safe transit. The step suggests Washington does not recognize Iran's authority over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran had effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint for global energy shipments, after the war with the US began. It later set up an agency called the Persian Gulf Strait Administration, or PGSA, claiming it would manage traffic through the waterway, and was reportedly seeking to charge as much as $2 million per vessel.

Ships from allied or friendly countries have at times been allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz as exceptions after consultations. Bloomberg reported that about a quarter of the large non-Iranian tankers recently trapped inside the Persian Gulf managed to leave the strait that way.

The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control added Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Administration and all individuals and entities cooperating with it to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.

Park Su-rim, Hankyung.com reporter, paksr365@hankyung.com