The U.S. government said it will ban any act of reaching agreements with Iran for the purpose of transiting the Strait of Hormuz, regardless of whether tolls are paid.
According to Bloomberg on the 29th, the U.S. Treasury said in a statement that "Americans must not use any services provided by the Iranian government, including safe-passage services, regardless of whether tolls are paid."
The intent is to ban the act itself of securing safety guarantees through communication with the Iranian government, including paying tolls to the Iranian government to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for seaborne energy transport, since war broke out following attacks by the United States and Israel. Iran then established the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) in the name of managing strait transits and was reportedly seeking to levy tolls of up to $2 million (about 3 billion won) per vessel during the approval process.
In response, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated PGSA for counterterrorism sanctions and warned that engaging in a transaction with the agency could expose parties to sanctions risk.
Meanwhile, Iran has selectively approved passage through the Strait of Hormuz for vessels from friendly countries or those with good relations after consultations. According to Bloomberg, about a quarter of the large non-Iranian-flagged oil tankers that had been trapped inside the Persian Gulf since the outbreak of the war exited the Strait of Hormuz after communication with Iran.