The European Union has imposed sanctions on two Iranian officials and a unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy over allegations that they are restricting freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. The Council of the EU announced on Monday that it had listed the Hormozgan Provincial Command of the IRGC Navy, accusing it of helping operate a system requiring vessels to submit detailed identification, cargo and destination data, and in some cases pay transit fees to pass through the strategic waterway.
The Strait of Hormuz, which carries about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade, remains one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints. Also sanctioned were Mohammad Akbarzadeh, deputy commander for political affairs of the IRGC Navy, and Hamid Hosseini, a representative of Iran’s Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters’ Union and a member of the country’s Chamber of Commerce.
The EU said Akbarzadeh supported activities threatening commercial shipping, while Hosseini promoted policies tied to information submission, inspection and payment requirements for vessels transiting the strait. The move comes less than two weeks after the United States sanctioned Iran’s so-called Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which Washington accused of working with the IRGC Navy to impose a permission-based transit system in the waterway and channeling fees to the military-linked group.
US officials have warned that shipping firms, insurers and financial institutions risk sanctions exposure if they engage with the network.