Scott Bessent Shuts Down Iranian Airlines, Sanctions Persian Gulf Strait Authority

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday he would be “shutting down” Iranian airlines, announcing that the Trump administration would “be shutting down both Iranian airlines’ access to landing spots, refueling, and ticket sales.”

Bessent framed the move as part of President Trump’s “Operation Economic Fury,” warning that “Anyone who accepts those, we will sanction,” while also saying there would be narrow exceptions for “religious reasons” and “valid humanitarian reasons.”

Al-Jazeera Net

In the same briefing, Bessent called the airlines “outlaws” and said, “So, they should be very clear that the state-owned Iranian airlines are outlaws and cannot do this.”

The sanctions were paired with action against Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which Bessent said was created earlier this month to extract payments from oil tankers and cargo ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz.

Bessent also warned that the U.S. would not tolerate tolling, writing that “The [Treasury] continues our Economic Fury campaign against the Iranian regime.”

Bessent warned shipping companies and governments against paying tolls to Iran through the Strait of Hormuz, writing on X that “We have warned any corporate or state entities against paying tolls or hiding them as aid payments.”

In a separate warning directed at Oman, Bessent said, “Oman, in particular, should know that the US Treasury will aggressively target any actors involved -- directly or indirectly -- in facilitating tolls.”

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The Jerusalem Post reported that the U.S. imposed new sanctions on Iran’s military oil trade and said the Treasury sanctioned eight vessels involved in transporting Iranian crude oil and petroleum products to global markets.

Those vessels included the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Flora, the Comoros-flagged crude oil tanker Hauncayo, and the Panama-flagged tanker Ill Gap, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The Jerusalem Post also quoted Bessent saying, “We will not allow the Iranian government to increase its oil revenue for the purpose of reconstituting its armed forces and military capabilities.”

While the airline and Strait of Hormuz measures were announced, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that U.S. and Iran negotiators reached a tentative agreement to extend the cease-fire and that it was awaiting President Donald Trump’s final approval.

“WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday he will be “shutting down” Iranian airlines — after a Post op-ed called attention to their illicit cash flow — and also slapped sanctions on the new Iranian entity set up to toll the Strait of Hormuz”

New York Post

Reuters, as cited by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, said the deal would extend the truce for a further 60 days and allow for traffic to freely flow through the Strait of Hormuz while negotiators continued to address issues including Tehran’s nuclear program.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty also reported that the U.S. announced it had imposed new sanctions on Iran’s military oil trade, targeting eight ships involved in transporting Iranian petroleum products to global markets.

Bessent told reporters at the White House briefing that “we perhaps have the makings of a deal here,” while Vice President JD Vance said Washington was “not there yet” in talks with Tehran.

In parallel, the U.S. Treasury said it would not tolerate tolling, with Bessent posting, “The United States Government will not tolerate any effort to impose a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz.”