On Wednesday, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions on the newly established body that manages requests for passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Treasury also extended the threat of sanctions to anyone cooperating with the agency, claiming that they “may be providing support to and receiving services from Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps”.
Iran placed restrictions on the strait after the US and Israel launched an unprovoked war of aggression against the country on February 28.
Since then, Washington has been unable to break Tehran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, despite a heavy air campaign, a naval blockade, special forces operations, and a failed “humanitarian” escort mission.
On May 4, Trump announced “Project Freedom” to forcibly reopen the strait, a plan that was halted after just one day.
Reports showed that US warships took limited measures to escort ships but faced the firm obstacle of the Iranian armed forces and failed to produce any meaningful change in passage.
Separately on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump issued an explicit threat against Oman, warning the Persian Gulf state to comply with Washington’s demands or face military attack.
Speaking during a White House cabinet meeting, Trump threatened, “Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we'll have to blow them up. They understand that. They'll be fine.”
His remarks came after Deputy Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Bagheri Kani noted that Iran and Oman were negotiating a new framework for maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that passage through the strategic waterway will no longer follow previous arrangements
Iran and the US agreed to a Pakistan-mediated truce on April 7 after at least 100 waves of Iranian retaliation.
The restrictions on the strategically vital waterway unleashed shockwaves across global energy markets, including in the United States, where rising gas prices further eroded Trump’s already low approval ratings.
Geographically and legally, Iran and Oman are the two coastal states responsible for overseeing navigation in the narrow strait, which links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the open ocean.
As the shipping lanes fall within their territorial waters and maritime jurisdictions, any long-term security or transit arrangement in the Strait of Hormuz requires close coordination between Tehran and Muscat.
Press TV