Washington, DC – In a further escalation of regional tensions, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has added the “Arabian Gulf Waterways Authority” to its sanctions list.
This move comes after Iran recently announced the establishment of this entity, claiming it is intended to “manage” and regulate maritime traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Washington: The entity is a tool of “extortion” to finance terrorism.
The U.S. Treasury Department explained in an official statement that the establishment of this entity is nothing more than a “new attempt” by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps to achieve illicit goals. It further indicated that the primary objective is “to generate revenue for the state’s campaign of terror” by imposing fees on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz under the guise of coordination or monitoring.
Washington stressed that these practices constitute a “flagrant violation of international law” and contravene existing US sanctions. The State Department reiterated its stern warning to all international parties, clarifying that “any person or entity cooperating with the so-called Straits Organization may be considered a provider of support to or recipient of services from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and thus subject to direct US sanctions.”
Context of Iranian establishment and actions
This Iranian move to establish the aforementioned body came in the wake of Washington’s tightening grip on the Strait of Hormuz and its intensified blockade of Iranian ports. This prompted Tehran to seek additional channels to control the vital waterway. Furthermore, the organization began its activities publicly through digital platforms; its official account on X (formerly Twitter) published maps delineating a “monitoring zone” within the strait. It emphasized that any maritime traffic in this area “requires prior coordination” with its affiliated body.
This US move presents global shipping companies with difficult choices. Washington also seeks, through these sanctions, to isolate any Iranian initiatives aimed at establishing de facto control over the waterway. It further underscores the continuation of the US administration’s “maximum pressure” policy toward economic activities linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Consequently, this raises the level of alert in one of the world’s most important energy waterways.
