Persian Gulf Strait Authority
Iranian government agency
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA)[a] is an Iranian government agency responsible for the authorisation and regulation of maritime transit after contacting the authority.[1] It was founded on 5 May 2026 during the 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis.[2] It is a self founded body by Iran that has no official recognition by other countries, with many worldwide experts and commentators noting that control of the Straight of Hormuz by the PGSA is effectively no different than control by Iran, since they are one and the same.
سازمان تنگه خلیج فارس | |
| Abbreviation | PGSA |
|---|---|
| Formation | 5 May 2026 |
| Type | Government agency |
| Purpose | Managing the Strait of Hormuz |
| Headquarters | Tehran, Iran |
Parent organization | Government of Iran |
| Website | pgsa.ir |
Background
In March 2026, Iran declared that vessels would be required to pay for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, in order to avoid sea mines that had previously been planted or to avoid confrontations with Iranian military vessels. Though this had been the standard operating procedure for Iran for many years, Iran has claimed that the March announcement was swiftly exploited by scam operators offering fraudulent transit documents in exchange for cryptocurrency payments. To address this issue and bring clarity to maritime traffic procedures, Iran established the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) with an official email contact. Under this system, shipowners receive verifiable guidance and can apply for transit permits directly through the PGSA’s formal process, creating a centralized and transparent mechanism for coordinating transit through the strait with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. By charging tolls for transiting the international waterway, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps guarantees ships will not be openly attacked.[3]
Reception and legal status
Under Article 34 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the regime of waters forming a strait used for international navigation does not affect the right of transit passage, which coastal states may neither suspend nor condition on prior authorization.[4][non-primary source needed] Effectively, there is no legal status for Iran to claim ownership, hold transiting ships hostage, openly attack, or charge tolls within the Strait of Hormuz as international law generally dictates a country may claim up to 12 nautical miles of territorial sea from it's border. However, Article 34 of UNCLOS generally supersedes the rights of "ordinary passage".
On 1 May 2026, the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued an advisory warning that payments to Iran for passage through the strait exposed both US and non-US persons to sanctions risk. The advisory specified that the risk applied regardless of payment method, including cash, digital assets, in-kind transfers, and charitable donations to Iranian-linked entities such as the Iranian Red Crescent Society.[5][6][7] Non-US firms facilitating such payments were warned of potential secondary sanctions, including restrictions on access to the US financial system.[8]
Industry analysts noted that compliance with the PGSA permit process, where it involved transit payments, could itself trigger sanctions exposure for shipping companies. Richard Meade of Lloyd's Intelligence told CNN that the new system appeared designed to "formalize" Iranian authority over transits through the strait.[9]
China has legislated and issued listings for a counter-sanctions regime[10] that may impact the U.S. sanctions.