Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has formally announced the establishment of a new agency to oversee the Strait of Hormuz. This new entity will be responsible for the comprehensive management of the Strait, including regulating maritime traffic, collecting tolls, and ensuring security. The agency has been named the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA).
In a social media post on Monday, Iran’s Security Council stated that this new authority would publish real-time information regarding operations and the latest situation within the Strait of Hormuz. The naval branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also disseminated the same post. Specific details regarding the new agency’s precise responsibilities have not yet been disclosed.
However, earlier this month, Iran’s Press TV reported that such an agency would be formed to implement effective measures for asserting Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. It was also reported that new regulations have been issued to vessels transiting through the Strait. Since the outbreak of conflict with the United States and Israel on February 28, Iran has imposed strict controls on maritime traffic along this vital waterway.
Although a ceasefire has been in effect since April 8, the situation remains tense. Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz has sparked concern within the global market. Simultaneously, this has positioned Tehran in a strategically significant position. Conversely, the United States has imposed a naval blockade on various Iranian ports.
Under normal circumstances, approximately one-fifth of the world’s total oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) is transported through this Strait. Additionally, this waterway is utilized for the transport of various critical commodities, including fertilizers. Since the onset of the conflict, Iran has repeatedly asserted that maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz will not revert to its previous status quo. Last month, Iran claimed that a certain country had paid tolls to transit through the Strait. On Saturday, Ebrahim Azizi, Head of the National Security Commission of the Iranian Parliament, announced that Iran has devised a structured framework to regulate maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, and that this framework would be unveiled very shortly.
