US Treasury sanctions Iran’s Hormuz strait authority

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A graphic shared by Iran's newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority on May 20, 2026 shows what the authority said will be a \"controlled maritime zone\" at the Strait of Hormuz, in this screenshot from social media. Persian Gulf Strait Authority via X/Handout via REUTERS

A graphic shared by Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority on May 20 shows what the authority said will be a "controlled maritime zone" at the Strait of Hormuz.

PHOTO: PERSIAN GULF STRAIT AUTHORITY/X

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WASHINGTON – The United States has sanctioned the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, the body Iran has set up to manage the Strait of Hormuz, the US Treasury Department said on May 27.

The authority is a body Iran has set up to manage requests for passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran’s grip on the strait, the conduit for about a fifth of the global oil supply, has sent the world economy into turmoil.

It closed the strait after the US and Israel launched its war against Iran on Feb 28.

Anyone cooperating with the authority may be providing support to and receiving services from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and may be sanctioned, the US Treasury said in a statement.

“The Iranian military’s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.

The Persian Gulf Strait Authority published a map on May 20 reaffirming Tehran’s claims to a wide stretch of water on either side of the chokepoint. REUTERS

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