Iran has been blocking Hormuz almost completely for over two months. The authorities in Tehran previously announced that they would charge a fee for crossing it.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) warned on Friday against paying tolls to Iran. The office emphasized that this may be considered as concluding transactions with the regime in Tehran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which are subject to sanctions by the United States.
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OFAC warned that transactions involving passage through the waterway could expose companies and individuals to sanctions.
“Regardless of payment method”
“OFAC is issuing this alert to inform U.S. and non-U.S. persons about the sanctions risk associated with making such payments to the Iranian regime or asking it for guarantees of safe flow,” the statement reads. “This risk exists regardless of the payment method,” it added.
The Strait of Hormuz, which plays a key role in the transport of crude oil, has been almost completely blocked by Iran since the US and Israel attacked that country in late February.
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According to the British analytical company Lloyd's List Intelligence, quoted by CNN, before the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28, within a month About 3,000 people usually passed through the Strait of Hormuz. ships. After the conflict broke out, this number dropped to about 150 units.
