Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) – The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) warned on May 1 that any shipping company paying Iran a toll for passage through the Strait of Hormuz in any form, including charitable donations, could face U.S. sanctions.
The OFAC issued a document on April 28 stating that the U.S. prohibits individuals or entities from paying security passage fees to Iran through the Strait of Hormuz, and that payments made by non-U.S. individuals or entities to Iran also pose a significant risk of sanctions.
The OFAC stated on May 1 that Iranian payment requests may include not only cash transfers but also digital assets, debt offsets, informal exchanges, or other in-kind payments, including charitable donations to the Iranian Red Crescent or the Iranian embassy. Any individual or entity making payments to Iran, regardless of the method, could face U.S. sanctions.
It is currently unclear whether any companies or countries have made such indirect payments. Some media outlets recently reported that an entity paid Iran at least $2 million to facilitate the passage of a ship through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control also announced new sanctions against three Iranian foreign exchange institutions.
Following the US and Israel's military strikes against Iran on February 28, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz. The US imposed a blockade on ships traveling to and from Iranian ports starting April 13. US Central Command stated that since the blockade began, 45 merchant ships have been instructed to turn back. US-Iran negotiations are currently at an impasse, and navigation through the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted. (Guo Qian)
