The United States announced fresh measures against Iran on Thursday, including plans to block Iranian airlines from accessing landing slots, refuelling services and ticket sales, as Washington intensifies economic pressure on Tehran amid ongoing tensions in the Gulf region.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the move is part of the administration’s broader “Economic Fury” campaign targeting Iran’s economy, energy exports and transport infrastructure.
In a series of posts on X, Bessent claimed that the Iranian economy was under severe strain and said Washington would continue tightening restrictions unless negotiations with Tehran produce what the US considers a satisfactory outcome.
“We will also be shutting down both Iranian airlines’ access to landing spots, refueling, and ticket sales,” Bessent wrote, without specifying which airlines would be affected or when the restrictions would take effect.
The US Treasury chief also announced sanctions against Iran’s newly formed Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), calling the organisation a “joke” and warning international firms and governments against cooperating with it.
The latest measures come after Iran established the PGSA earlier this month to oversee operations in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route through which a significant portion of the world’s oil supply passes.
Bessent warned that Washington would aggressively target any entity involved in facilitating Iranian toll collection or operational control in the strait.
“The U.S. government will not tolerate any effort to impose a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz,” he said, specifically cautioning Oman and other regional actors against assisting Tehran.
US President Donald Trump also reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz would remain open to international shipping and said no country would be allowed to control the waterway.
“The Strait is going to be open to everybody. It’s international waters. We’ll watch over it, but nobody’s going to control it,” Trump told reporters.
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