Iran Launches Official ‘Persian Gulf Strait Authority’ Account, Declares Unauthorized Hormuz Transit ‘Illegal’

The Iranian-backed Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) has officially launched a public presence on X, marking the clearest effort yet by Tehran to formalize and publicize its emerging control regime over commercial shipping transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The newly launched account, operating under the handle “PGSA_Iran,” introduced itself Monday as the “official X account of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority” and said it would provide “real-time updates” on operations and developments in the strategically critical waterway.

In a second post, the organization declared itself the “legal entity and representative authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran for managing the passage and transit through the Strait of Hormuz.”

The statement went further, warning that navigation through waters designated by Iranian authorities and the Iranian Armed Forces now requires “full coordination” with Tehran.

“Passage without permission will be considered illegal,” the account stated.

The launch of the account appears to formalize what shipping executives and maritime security firms have been warning about for days: Iran is attempting to establish a de facto permission-based transit regime through one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints.

The Strait of Hormuz has remained effectively paralyzed since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict, with commercial traffic collapsing and hundreds of vessels stranded or rerouted amid missile attacks, mining threats, insurance cancellations and growing military tensions.

Bloomberg reported earlier this month that shipowners were being instructed to contact the PGSA directly to request authorization for transits. A form reviewed by Bloomberg reportedly asked operators to disclose detailed information including vessel origin, destination, cargo value, previous flag registrations and crew nationalities.

That raised immediate alarm across the industry.

Several shipowners and maritime security executives told Bloomberg they remained unwilling to attempt transits despite Tehran’s public messaging suggesting “safe, stable passage” could resume under “new protocols.”

“The shipowners I’ve spoken to have said they’ll believe it when they see it,” Halvor Ellefsen, a London-based director at Fearnleys Shipbrokers UK Ltd., told Bloomberg. “It’s not the first time there have been public statements that were encouraging, only for them not to materialize.”

Industry concerns extend beyond the security risks themselves. Operators also face growing legal and sanctions questions surrounding any direct coordination with Iranian authorities or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

So far, shipping traffic has shown little sign of returning to normal levels despite intermittent political signals suggesting possible de-escalation.

The account launch comes as maritime security advisories continue to warn of elevated risks in and around the Strait, including sporadic attacks, mining threats near the traffic separation scheme and ongoing GPS interference.

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