Middle East
US warns shippers not to pay Iran’s ‘tolls’ in Strait of Hormuz as blockade continues
Stars and Stripes
May 2, 2026
The USS New Orleans sails in the Arabian Sea on April 28, 2026, during the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. (U.S. Central Command)
The United States has warned the maritime industry that shippers will be subject to sanctions if they pay Iran’s tolls to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
On Friday, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said it will “not hesitate to take action against those supporting Iran’s military, including through ‘toll’ payments. Maritime service providers should conduct enhanced due diligence around transits through the Strait of Hormuz.”
Iran effectively closed the strait after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Feb. 28, though it has offered some ships safe passage via routes closer to its shore, sometimes charging fees.
The payments are not just about currency, the U.S. Treasury said in a statement, and can include “digital assets, offsets, informal swap, or other in-kind payments, such as nominally charitable donations made to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Bonyad Mostazafan or Iranian embassy accounts.”
About a fifth of the world’s trade in oil and natural gas typically passes through the strait.
A U.S. naval blockade targeting Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman began on April 13. U.S. Central Command said Saturday in a post on X that over the last 20 days 48 vessels have been redirected to ensure compliance with the blockade.
The Pentagon has estimated that the blockade has cost Iran $4.8 billion in lost oil revenue, according to reports from Axios and The Hill.
Meanwhile, the three-week ceasefire is holding despite stalled negotiations.
President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal to end the war, saying on Friday that “I’m not satisfied with it, so we’ll see what happens.”