The U.S. government warned shipping companies that have transactions with Iran about the possibility of sanctions to safely pass the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said on the 2nd (local time), "We are issuing an advisory to warn that paying the Iranian regime for safe passage or requesting assurances (of non-attack) carries a risk of sanctions."
Iran is pushing a plan to collect tolls from vessels by proposing a detour route close to its own coast.
OFAC presented various transactions as forms of payment subject to sanctions, not only cash but also digital asset, offset transaction, informal swaps, and payment in kind.
In particular, it said that payments made through Iranian embassies in each country or routed as charitable donations are also strictly prohibited.
For the shipping industry, it is a dilemma in which paying a toll to safely pass the Strait of Hormuz without being attacked by Iranian forces could bring strong U.S. sanctions.
Before the outbreak of war, the Strait of Hormuz was a key waterway through which about 20% of the world's oil and gas trade passed.
The United States has launched a naval blockade to stop the passage of Iran-linked vessels in response to Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. According to U.S. Central Command, since the counter-blockade began, 45 merchant ships have been turned back.
A truce between the United States and Iran is holding, but as the standoff over control of the Strait of Hormuz drags on, pressure on the global economy is intensifying.