pgsa.ir explained

What it is, what it asks for, who operates it, and what the U.S. sanctions framework says about paying it.

Background: how pgsa.ir came to exist

In March 2026, the Iranian government announced it would begin charging for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters reported the announcement on 15 March 2026, noting it triggered an immediate proliferation of fraudulent intermediaries soliciting cryptocurrency payments from vessel operators.

On approximately 22 April 2026, Iran formalized the arrangement by establishing a dedicated body — the Persian Gulf Strait Authority — and the domain pgsa.ir. Per Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the authority was designated as the official interface to the IRGC for transit correspondence, with info@pgsa.ir as the contact address. The Maritime Executive reported on the formalization at the time.

PGSA.IO first recorded this event in its live incident feed: "Iran formalizes Persian Gulf Strait Authority at pgsa.ir" (source: IRIB / The Maritime Executive, 22 April 2026).

What pgsa.ir asks for

Per published Iranian state-media reporting, pgsa.ir requests the following from vessel operators seeking Strait of Hormuz transit:

• Payment of a transit fee in advance, with amounts reported by The Maritime Executive as varying by vessel type and gross tonnage.
• Disclosure of vessel particulars including IMO number, flag state, vessel type, gross tonnage, charterer identity, and P&I club, submitted prior to transit.
• All communications to be directed to info@pgsa.ir.

No legitimate state maritime authority in the region — including UKMTO, U.S. NAVCENT, or the IMO — has endorsed or required these submissions. The U.S.-led Project Freedom transit umbrella (NAVCENT announcement, 10 April 2026) carries no fee and operates via UKMTO registration.

Who operates pgsa.ir

Per IRIB and subsequent coverage in The Maritime Executive, pgsa.ir serves as the official correspondence interface to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for transit arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC controls the islands dominating the northern approaches to the strait — Larak, Abu Musa, and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs — and operates IRGCN (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy) surface and fast-attack assets in the area.

The IRGC is a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. The designation was made by the U.S. Department of State on 8 April 2019, the first time in U.S. history a component of another government was so designated. The IRGC also appears on the U.S. Treasury OFAC Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list.

No independent verification of the corporate registration, governance structure, or beneficial ownership of pgsa.ir as a legal entity has been published. The domain's effective operator is the IRGC as reported by Iranian state media.

Sanctions implications of paying pgsa.ir

This section reports publicly available U.S. government statements. It is not legal advice. Consult your flag state, P&I club, and qualified sanctions counsel before making any operational decision.

U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) administers and enforces U.S. economic and trade sanctions. Under the Iran sanctions program, payments to entities that provide material support to the IRGC or to the Government of Iran may trigger designation. OFAC's Iran sanctions program page outlines the legal framework.

U.S. Treasury has indicated it will sanction entities that pay Iran for transit. The relevant advisories are published on the OFAC Recent Actions page. The OFAC Iran Shipping Advisory addresses the maritime sector specifically.

Non-U.S. parties should note that the IRGC FTO designation has extraterritorial implications under 18 U.S.C. § 2339B (material support to a designated FTO) for entities with U.S. nexus — including vessels calling U.S. ports, entities with U.S. financial relationships, and U.S.-dollar-denominated payments. The precise exposure for any specific operator requires legal analysis specific to that operator's flag state, ownership structure, and commercial relationships.

The International Maritime Bureau and the Joint War Committee of the Lloyd's Market Association have also addressed the Strait of Hormuz transit environment. Operators should consult their P&I clubs directly for coverage implications.

How to verify a communication purporting to be from pgsa.ir

Before responding to any communication claiming to be from pgsa.ir, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, or any associated Iranian authority, the following channels are the authoritative reference points:

• Flag state. Your vessel's flag-state administration has legal standing and situational awareness. Contact them first. The IMO provides flag-state contact information.
• P&I club. Your P&I club's loss-prevention desk handles exactly these inquiries. Contact them via your standard emergency channel — not via a number provided in an unsolicited communication.
• Charter party. If the vessel is on charter, the charterer's legal and operations team should be notified immediately.
• UKMTO. For any threat or unusual contact while in or approaching the region, report to UKMTO on +971 50 552 3215 (24/7).

Known fraudulent operators have impersonated pgsa.ir by mimicking its domain and email conventions. See the PGSA scam watch for indicators. Any communication requesting cryptocurrency payment (USDT, BTC, or similar) is fraudulent — no legitimate state authority demands payment in cryptocurrency. See also the FAQ for common verification questions.

The broader question — whether to engage at all with pgsa.ir as an entity — is outside the scope of this page. That question is for your flag state, your P&I club, and counsel. See OFAC Iran transit guidance for a chronological digest of relevant U.S. Treasury actions.

Why we publish this

PGSA.IO is an independent, non-governmental OSINT project. We have no affiliation with pgsa.ir, the IRGC, the Government of Iran, the U.S. government, or any transit broker, P&I club, or commercial maritime service. We do not accept payment of any kind, issue transit authorizations, or broker any arrangement. We publish aggregated public-record reporting so that shipowners, charterers, agents, and their advisors can find a single, sober, non-paywalled reference when they need one. See About PGSA.IO for full editorial principles and independence statement.