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Iran formally launches Persian Gulf Strait Authority to manage Hormuz traffic

This photo shows an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) boat allegedly taking part in an operation to seize ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, April 21, 2026. (AFP Photo)
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This photo shows an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) boat allegedly taking part in an operation to seize ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, April 21, 2026. (AFP Photo)
May 18, 2026 02:19 PM GMT+03:00

Iran's Supreme National Security Council (NSC) announced the formation of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) on Monday.

The council shared the new body's official X account, signaling that Tehran is formalizing its control over Strait of Hormuz traffic into a permanent institutional framework, with ships already being sent regulations from the address info@pgsa.ir.

The PGSA's first post on X read: "In the Name of God. The official X account of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority is now live. Follow us for real-time updates on Hormuz Strait operations and latest developments."

The account of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy shared the same post.

Iran's Press TV had earlier described the body as "a system to exercise sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz."

Members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) participate in a military exercise in Tehran province, Iran, May 12, 2026. (Photo via Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/HO)
Members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) participate in a military exercise in Tehran province, Iran, May 12, 2026. (Photo via Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/HO)

It is not immediately clear what the new body would formally do, but it has been reported that ships passing through the strait are being sent regulations from the PGSA email address.

Iranian parliament's National Security Committee chair Ebrahim Azizi had said on Saturday that Iran had "prepared a professional mechanism to manage traffic" through the strait that would be "unveiled soon." The PGSA's launch on Monday appears to be the basis for that announcement.

Azizi had also said on X that only commercial vessels and parties cooperating with Iran would benefit from the arrangement. He also stated that fees would be collected for specialized services, while the route would remain closed to the operators of the so-called "freedom project," a reference to the U.S. naval operation to escort stranded commercial ships through the waterway.

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency and taken on May 2, 2026, the Gambia-flagged tanker vessel Bili is pictured anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. (AFP Photo)
In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency and taken on May 2, 2026, the Gambia-flagged tanker vessel Bili is pictured anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. (AFP Photo)

Hormuz closed since Feb 28

Iran has largely blocked shipping through the strait since the war began on Feb. 28 and has already collected its first toll revenues from vessels it selectively allowed to transit.

Tehran has repeatedly stated that maritime traffic through Hormuz "will not return to its pre-war status."

In peacetime, the route carries approximately one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, along with other key commodities including fertilizer.

Daily transits have fallen from approximately 135 before the war to a handful, with the U.S. simultaneously imposing its own naval blockade on Iranian ports.

The U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, triggering retaliation from Tehran against Israel as well as U.S. allies in the Gulf, alongside the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. Since April 13, the U.S. has enforced a naval blockade targeting Iranian maritime traffic in the Strait.

May 18, 2026 02:19 PM GMT+03:00
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