Iran’s new PGSA to oversee Strait of Hormuz warns any passage without approval will be considered ‘illegal’ during war | Today’s news
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council on Monday announced the creation of a new agency, the Persian Gulf Straits Authority (PGSA), to oversee the Strait of Hormuz amid the Middle East war.
It further states that “sailing in the designated jurisdictional area of the Strait of Hormuz” must involve “full coordination” with the authority, warning that any passage without approval would be considered “illegal”.
Taking to its official account X from PGSA, the council said the body would be issuing “real-time updates” on activities and developments on the waterway.
The PGSA later disclosed that it serves as “the legal and official representative body of the Islamic Republic of Iran responsible for managing transit through the Strait of Hormuz.”
Earlier this month, Iran’s state English broadcaster Press TV described the move as the creation of a “system to exercise sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz”, adding that vessels passing through the strait would receive instructions by email.
Iranian FM spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei defends Tehran’s demands
Iran said on Monday it had responded to a recent US proposal to end the war, noting that diplomatic contacts were still continuing despite Iranian media calling Washington’s demands unrealistic.
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The US and Iran are exchanging proposals to try to end the conflict that the US and Israel started on February 28. Despite these efforts, however, they have so far only held one round of talks under a fragile ceasefire.
State Department spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a news conference, saying, “As we announced yesterday, our concerns have been conveyed to the American side,” noting that talks “are continuing through the Pakistani mediator.”
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Baqaei supported Iran’s terms and repeated calls for access to Iranian funds held abroad and the lifting of long-standing sanctions.
“The points raised are Iranian demands, which the Iranian negotiating team has strongly defended in every round of negotiations,” he said.
He also supported Iran’s demand that the US provide war reparations, calling the conflict “illegal and baseless”.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say they have attacked groups allegedly linked to the US and Israel
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Monday it had carried out strikes against groups it says are linked to the United States and Israel in western Iran’s Kurdistan province near the Iraqi border.
In a statement reported by the ISNA news agency, the Guards claimed that groups operating from northern Iraq and acting on behalf of the US and Israel were attempting to smuggle a large shipment of US arms and ammunition into Iran.
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They added that these groups were targeted in the city of Baneh in the Kurdistan region.
Iranian authorities have detained more than 4,000 people in connection with the US-Israeli war against the Islamic Republic in a sweeping crackdown, a US-based human rights group said on Monday.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it recorded at least 4,023 arrests between February 28, when the conflict began, and May 9.
It added that those arrested were charged with crimes such as espionage, endangering national security and sharing or communicating war-related content to foreign media.
“Iranian authorities have used the conflict to reinforce national security narratives and justify arrests, restrictions on freedom of expression and violence against civilians,” he added.
