Kathmandu. The United States has tightened economic pressure on Tehran by announcing new sanctions on Iranian entities that charge fees for its maritime traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The US Treasury Department has announced sanctions against Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority. According to the United States, the agency operates a system that charges ships that use the Strait of Hormuz. Washington sees the new move as part of an effort to tighten economic sanctions on Iran.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said in a statement that Iran’s military in a recent effort to score economic benefits from global maritime trade indicated that Tehran is under pressure from a cash crunch. He claimed that Iran’s leadership was looking for new revenue sources to run its program.

The statement warned that individuals or organizations who pay fees to travel through Hormuz could also be subject to US sanctions. The ministry said such payments could be interpreted as providing assistance or services to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

Besant said the US was working to deprive the Iranian regime of funding its weapons programme, regional armed alliances and nuclear ambitions. The statement also claimed that the US had succeeded in “cutting off tens of billions of dollars in potential revenue access” to Tehran.

Meanwhile, on May 20, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority released a map clarifying its so-called “regulatory jurisdiction” on social media X. The map drew red lines on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz, showing areas requiring Iranian clearance to use the route.

The dispute has become more sensitive amid war and diplomatic tensions. U.S. and Iranian militaries have observed a ceasefire since April 8, but diplomatic efforts are underway to find a political solution. Despite this, the US side accuses Iran of tightening its control over the strait of the Gulf through Hormuz, and in recent days the US has launched military strikes on Iranian targets.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Bakai said on Monday that Tehran would continue to manage traffic along the strategic Hormuz Corridor. He said Iran was charging for navigational services, not tolls, on the sea route that carries about 20 percent of the world’s oil and natural gas.

Added to this tense backdrop is Iran’s retaliation with missile and drone strikes across the region in the war that erupted after the US and Israel invaded the Islamic Republic on February 28.