Dubai (United Arab Emirates), 2 May (LaPresse/AP) – The United States is warning shipping companies that they could face sanctions if they make payments to Iran to transit safely through the Strait of Hormuz. The warning issued on Friday by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) adds a further layer of pressure to the standoff between the US and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively closed the strait to normal traffic, threatening to attack ships after the US and Israel launched the war on 28 February. It subsequently began offering safe passage to certain ships, diverting them via alternative routes closer to its coastline, sometimes demanding payment for the service. This ‘toll’ is at the heart of the US sanctions warning.
US threatens sanctions against those paying tolls in Hormuz
Dubai (United Arab Emirates), 2 May (LaPresse/AP) – The United States is warning shipping companies that they could face sanctions if they make payments to Iran to transit safely through the Strait of Hormuz. The warning issued on Friday by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) adds a further layer of pressure to the standoff between the US and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively closed the strait to normal traffic, threatening to attack ships after the US and Israel launched the war on 28 February. It subsequently began offering safe passage to certain ships, diverting them via alternative routes closer to its coastline, sometimes demanding payment for the service. This ‘toll’ is at the heart of the US sanctions warning.
