DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States is warning shipping companies they could face sanctions if they pay Iran to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
The alert posted Friday by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control adds another layer of pressure to the standoff between the US and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
About one-fifth of the world’s trade in oil and natural gas normally passes through the strait at the mouth of the Persian Gulf in peacetime.
Following the outbreak of war between the US and Israel on February 28, Iran effectively closed the strait to normal traffic by attacking ships and threatening attacks. It later began offering safer passage by diverting some ships to alternative routes closer to its coastline, charging several times the fee for the service.
That “tollbooth” effort is the focus of the US sanctions warning.
OFAC said payment demands could include not only transfers in cash, but also “digital assets, offsets, informal swaps, or other in-kind payments”, including charitable donations and payments at Iranian embassies.
“OFAC is issuing this alert to warn U.S. and non-U.S. persons about the sanctions risks of making payments to, or seeking guarantees from, the Iranian regime for safe passage. These risks exist regardless of the payment method.”
The US imposed its own naval blockade on April 13 in response to Iran closing the strait, blocking any Iranian tankers from passing and depriving Iran of the oil revenue needed to shore up its ailing economy.
US Central Command said 45 commercial vessels had been asked to turn back since the blockade began.
The warning came as US President Donald Trump sharply rejected Iran’s latest proposal to end the war between the countries.
“They want to make a deal, I’m not satisfied with it, so we’ll see what happens,” Trump said at the White House on Friday. He did not elaborate on what he saw as shortcomings but expressed disappointment in the Iranian leadership.
“This is very disjointed leadership,” Trump said. “They all want to make a deal, but they’re all messed up.”
Iran submitted its plan to mediators in Pakistan on Thursday night, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported.
A shaky three-week ceasefire between the US and Iran appears to be holding, although both countries have accused violations. The standoff is putting pressure on the global economy, driving up prices and shortages of fuel and other oil industry products.
The President said the phone conversation continued after Trump canceled his envoys’ visit to Pakistan last week. Trump this week unveiled a new plan to reopen the vital route used by America’s Gulf allies to export their oil and gas.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has briefed several of his regional counterparts about the country’s initiative to end the war, according to his social media. He also spoke on Friday with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who is in touch with the EU’s Gulf partners.
Iran said on Saturday it had executed two men convicted of spying for Israel.
The Iranian judiciary’s news outlet, Mizanonline, identified the men as Yaghoub Karimpour and Nasser Bekarzadeh. It said he was hanged after the country’s Supreme Court upheld his earlier death sentence.
The news outlet said Karimpour was accused of sending “sensitive information” to an officer of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, while Bakerzadeh was accused of sending information about Natanz to government and religious leaders as well. The central Iranian city is home to a nuclear enrichment facility that was bombed by Israel and the US last year.
Iran has executed more than a dozen people in recent weeks over alleged espionage and terrorist activities.
Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations Fu Kang said Friday that maintaining the ceasefire is “the most urgent issue” while also resuming good-faith talks to bring the sides together “to ensure that the ground is prepared for the reopening of Hormuz.”
Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been “almost constantly talking on the phone” with representatives of all parties, Fu said, adding that China supports Pakistan’s efforts to mediate between the parties.
Fu stressed that the root cause of the immense suffering in Iran and neighboring countries and the increasing turmoil in the global economy, especially in developing countries, is “the illegitimate war waged by the US and Israel.”
