US warns shipping firms they could face sanctions over paying Iranian tolls in the Strait of Hormuz

The United States is warning shipping companies that they could face sanctions for making payments to Iran to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

The alert posted on Friday by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control adds another layer of pressure in the standoff between the US and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz.

About a fifth of the world's trade in oil and natural gas typically passes through the strait at the mouth of the Arabian Gulf in peacetime.

Iran effectively closed the strait to normal traffic by attacking and threatening to attack ships after the US and Israel launched a war on Feb.28. It later began offering some ships safe passage by detouring them through alternate routes closer to its shoreline, charging fees at times for the service.

That "tollbooth” effort is the focus of the US sanctions warning.

Ships and boats in Musandam, Oman, which lies to the south of the Strait of Hormuz, on Saturday. Reuters

The payment demands could include transfers not only in cash but also "digital assets, offsets, informal swaps, or other in-kind payments,” including charitable donations and payments at Iranian embassies, OFAC said.

"OFAC is issuing this alert to warn US and non-US persons about the sanctions risks of making these payments to, or soliciting guarantees from, the Iranian regime for safe passage. These risks exist regardless of payment method,” it said.

The US responded to Iran's closure of the strait with a naval blockade of its own on April 13, preventing any Iranian tankers from leaving and depriving Iran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy.

The US Central Command said 45 commercial ships have been told to turn around since the blockade began.

The warning came as US President Donald Trump swiftly rejected Iran’s latest proposal to end the war between the countries.

"They want to make a deal, I’m not satisfied with it, so we’ll see what happens,” Trump said Friday at the White House. He didn't elaborate on what he saw as its shortcomings but expressed frustration with the Iranian leadership.

"It’s a very disjointed leadership,” Trump said. "They all want to make a deal, but they’re all messed up.”

Associated Press