US warns shipping companies of sanctions over Iran payments

U.S. Warns Shipping Companies of Sanctions Risk for Iranian “Tollbooth” Payments

The United States has issued a stark warning to shipping companies that they could face sanctions for making payments to Iran in exchange for safe passage through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. The alert, posted Friday by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), escalates tensions in the ongoing standoff between Washington and Tehran over control of one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints.

The Strait of Hormuz, located at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, normally serves as a conduit for approximately one-fifth of global oil and natural gas trade. However, normal traffic through the strait has been severely disrupted since February 28, when Iran began attacking and threatening ships in response to military action launched by the United States and Israel.

In recent weeks, Iran has implemented what U.S. officials describe as a “tollbooth” operation, offering some vessels safe passage through alternate routes closer to Iranian shorelines—for a price. These payment demands can take various forms beyond traditional currency transactions.

“These payments could include transfers not only in cash but also digital assets, offsets, informal swaps, or other in-kind payments, including charitable donations and payments at Iranian embassies,” OFAC stated in its alert. “OFAC is issuing this alert to warn U.S. and non-U.S. persons about the sanctions risks of making these payments to, or soliciting guarantees from, the Iranian regime for safe passage. These risks exist regardless of payment method.”

The United States responded to Iran’s closure of the strait by implementing its own naval blockade on April 13, preventing Iranian tankers from departing the region and effectively cutting off crucial oil revenue needed to support Iran’s struggling economy. According to U.S. Central Command, 45 commercial ships have been turned away since the blockade began.

The maritime standoff occurs against the backdrop of ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict. President Donald Trump swiftly rejected Iran’s latest peace proposal on Friday, though he provided few details about what he found lacking in Tehran’s offer.

“They want to make a deal, I’m not satisfied with it, so we’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters at the White House. He expressed frustration with what he characterized as Iran’s disorganized leadership structure. “It’s a very disjointed leadership. They all want to make a deal, but they’re all messed up.”

According to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, Iran delivered its plan to mediators in Pakistan on Thursday night. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has reportedly briefed numerous regional counterparts on Iran’s initiatives to end the conflict. He also held talks Friday with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who maintains contact with the EU’s Gulf partners.

Despite ongoing tensions, a fragile three-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran appears to be holding, though both nations have accused each other of violations. The prolonged crisis is increasingly straining the global economy, pushing prices higher and causing shortages of fuel and other petroleum-related products.

In a separate but related development, Iran announced Saturday that it had executed two men convicted of spying for Israel. The Iranian judiciary identified the men as Yaghoub Karimpour and Nasser Bekrzadeh, stating that they were hanged after the country’s Supreme Court upheld earlier death sentences. According to Iranian authorities, Karimpour allegedly sent “sensitive information” to an officer in Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, while Bekrzadeh was accused of transmitting details about government and religious leaders, as well as information regarding the nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz that was bombed by Israel and the U.S. last year. These executions are part of a wider crackdown that has seen Iran hang more than a dozen people in recent weeks over alleged espionage and terrorist activities.

Meanwhile, China’s ambassador to the United Nations, Fu Cong, emphasized Friday that maintaining the ceasefire is “the most urgent issue,” alongside bringing the parties together to resume good-faith negotiations “to make sure that the ground is laid for reopening of Hormuz.” Fu noted that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi “has been on the phone almost constantly” with representatives from all sides, and that China supports Pakistan’s mediation efforts.

The ambassador pointedly added that the root cause of the suffering in Iran and neighboring countries, as well as the growing turmoil in the global economy, “is the illegitimate war by the U.S. and Israel.”