Iran warned that vessels violating its rules for transiting the Strait of Hormuz could face penalties including fines, detention or confiscation, according to a post on X from the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA).

The PGSA, a newly created Iranian body tasked with overseeing the strait, said cargo owners should consult an updated list of vessels it considers non-compliant for voyages tied to the Persian Gulf. Ships involved in ship-to-ship transfers or transshipment with vessels on that list will themselves be added to it, the authority said. Any vessel seeking removal from the list must submit a request with supporting explanations to Iranian maritime authorities.

The announcement follows a weekend in which Washington threatened Iran with what it called “the greatest financial offensive ever marshalled,” ahead of a fresh round of sanctions set to target Iran’s trading partners starting Monday.

The escalation comes after both countries let a 60-day ceasefire window lapse without reaching an agreement, ending the formal truce mechanism meant to wind down the six-month-old Middle East conflict.

In a Sunday opinion piece published in the Financial Times, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote: “At dawn begins an economic D-Day — the single greatest financial offensive ever marshalled against an adversary,” describing the coming sanctions as the “endgame” of the U.S. campaign against Tehran.

The new measures will build on an already broad sanctions regime covering Iran’s banking, energy, aviation and cryptocurrency sectors. The Trump administration has said Iran’s economy is in freefall, pointing to runaway inflation and a collapsing currency.

Bessent also said that “any nation that serves as a financial artery of a withering regime should expect to share in its isolation,” a warning directed at governments still doing business with Tehran. He has previously signaled additional secondary sanctions against countries and entities that engage with Iran.
Bessent is scheduled to hold a press conference at 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT) Monday, where he has promised to detail further measures against Tehran. The two countries have not exchanged military strikes in weeks, though talks aimed at ending the conflict have also failed to materialize.

Source: Investing.com