U.S. Treasury Warns Oman Over Hormuz Toll System

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday warned Oman that Washington is prepared to aggressively sanction any country or entity involved in facilitating an Iranian-linked tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz, dramatically escalating pressure on one of America’s longtime Gulf partners.

“The United States Government will not tolerate any effort to impose a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz,” Bessent wrote on X.

“Oman, in particular, should know that the U.S. Treasury will aggressively target any actors involved – directly or indirectly – in facilitating tolls for the Strait and any willing partners will be penalized,” he added.

The United States Government will not tolerate any effort to impose a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz. Oman, in particular, should know that the U.S. Treasury will aggressively target any actors involved – directly or indirectly – in facilitating tolls for the Strait and…

— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) May 28, 2026

The comments came just one day after President Donald Trump threatened Oman while dismissing reports that  Iran and Oman could jointly oversee commercial shipping traffic through the strategic waterway.

“Nobody’s going to control the strait,” Trump said during a cabinet meeting Wednesday. “It’s international waters and Oman will behave just like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up.”

Together, the remarks represent the clearest signal yet that the Trump administration is prepared to confront not only Iran’s emerging Hormuz transit regime, but also regional governments perceived as helping legitimize it.

The escalating rhetoric comes as the Treasury on Wednesday sanctioned Iran’s so-called Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), which Washington accuses of working with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to extort vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

Treasury alleges the PGSA coordinates with the IRGC Navy to direct ships along Iranian-designated routes near Iran’s coastline while collecting illegitimate fees for passage. U.S. officials say those funds ultimately benefit the IRGC, which remains designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

The sanctions action also builds on earlier OFAC guidance warning shipowners, insurers, brokers and banks that any payments tied to Iranian “safe passage” arrangements could expose them to U.S. sanctions enforcement.

That warning extends beyond direct cash payments and includes digital assets, offsets, swaps, charitable donations and other indirect forms of compensation tied to Iranian entities.

Bessent’s latest comments suggest the administration is now broadening that pressure campaign toward countries seen as facilitating or politically supporting the arrangement.

The warning places Oman in an increasingly uncomfortable position. Muscat has long served as one of the region’s primary diplomatic intermediaries between Washington and Tehran and has reportedly been involved in discussions surrounding possible frameworks for restoring commercial shipping through Hormuz.

But the administration’s latest statements suggest Washington now views any arrangement involving Iranian oversight, tolls or coordinated transit authority as fundamentally unacceptable. “All nations should reject outright any efforts by Iran to disrupt the free flow of commerce,” Bessent wrote. “Tehran’s days of terrorizing the region and the world are over.”

The Strait of Hormuz normally handles roughly one-fifth of global oil and LNG trade, but commercial traffic through the waterway remains far below prewar levels amid mining threats, attacks on merchant vessels, insurance costs and ongoing military tensions.

Shipping executives and security analysts have repeatedly warned that traffic is unlikely to normalize until operators receive credible guarantees on mine clearance, freedom of navigation and sanctions exposure tied to Iranian transit demands.

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