United States Sanctions Iran’s New Hormuz Control Agency

Washington combined new sanctions with military defense operations near the Strait of Hormuz.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington on April 15, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

The United States has imposed sanctions on the so-called Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), a newly formed Iranian body, that is part of Tehran’s effort to control and profit from transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Treasury Department said on May 27 that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) uses PGSA to “monetize its campaign of state-sponsored terror by extorting vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.”