DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) \u2014 The United States is warning shipping companies that they could face sanctions for making payments to Iran to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
The alert posted Friday by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control adds another layer of pressure in the standoff between the U.S. and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
About a fifth of the world\u2019s trade in oil and natural gas typically passes through the strait at the mouth of the Persian Gulf<\/a> in peacetime. <\/p>\n Iran effectively closed the strait to normal traffic by attacking and threatening to attack ships after the U.S. and Israel launched a war on Feb. 28. It later began offering some ships safe passage by detouring them through alternate routes closer to its shoreline, charging fees at times for the service. <\/p>\n That \u201ctollbooth\u201d effort is the focus of the U.S. sanctions warning. <\/p>\n The payment demands could include transfers not only in cash but also \u201cdigital assets, offsets, informal swaps, or other in-kind payments,\u201d including charitable donations and payments at Iranian embassies, OFAC said.<\/p>\n \u201cOFAC is issuing this alert to warn U.S. and non-U.S. persons about the sanctions risks of making these payments to, or soliciting guarantees from, the Iranian regime for safe passage. These risks exist regardless of payment method,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n The U.S. responded to Iran\u2019s closure of the strait with a naval blockade of its own on April 13, preventing any Iranian tankers from leaving and depriving Iran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy<\/a>.<\/p>\n The U.S. Central Command said 45 commercial ships have been told to turn around since the blockade began. <\/p>\n Trump rejects Iranian proposal<\/p>\n The warning came as U.S. President Donald Trump swiftly rejected Iran\u2019s latest proposal<\/a> to end the war between the countries.<\/p>\n \u201cThey want to make a deal, I\u2019m not satisfied with it, so we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d Trump said Friday at the White House. He didn\u2019t elaborate on what he saw as its shortcomings but expressed frustration with the Iranian leadership.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a very disjointed leadership,\u201d Trump said. \u201cThey all want to make a deal, but they\u2019re all messed up.\u201d<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s state-run IRNA news agency reported Iran handed over its plan to mediators in Pakistan on Thursday night.<\/p>\n