The United States has prohibited its citizens from entering into agreements with Iran to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

As the conflict between Iran and the United States continues to escalate, the United States has reaffirmed that, even without involving the payment of tolls, the government prohibits its citizens from reaching any agreement with Iran for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

In an updated statement released on Friday (May 29th), the US Treasury Department said: "Regardless of whether payment is made or not, US citizens are not allowed to receive services provided by the Iranian government, including those related to security passage guarantees."

Since the US and Israel launched their attack on Iran on February 28th, the shipping volume through the Strait of Hormuz - a crucial waterway connecting the Persian Gulf's energy infrastructure with the rest of the world - has significantly decreased, leading to a sharp rise in oil prices. The White House has been sending contradictory messages regarding the prospects of reaching an agreement with Iran, and this was still the case in its statement on Friday.

Bloomberg quoted the statement from the US Treasury Department, saying that Iran has established a new entity called "Persian Gulf Strait Authority" (PGSA), aiming to "charge tolls to ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz and engage in extortion". The US Office of Foreign Assets Control has placed PGSA on the sanctions list based on the "Anti-Terrorism Authorization" and warned that any transaction with it would carry the risk of sanctions.

Although the shipping speed in the Strait of Hormuz has significantly slowed down, some vessels still managed to pass through: Among the large non-Iranian oil tankers trapped in the Persian Gulf at the time of the war, approximately one quarter managed to leave the area in a slow and covert manner.

The statement also indicates that any payment to the Iranian government or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or acceptance of their security guarantees for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, is not permitted.