00:00The United States has warned shipping companies, financial institutions and other entities that are cooperating with Iran's newly designated Persian
00:09Gulf Strait Authority could expose them to sanctions as Washington escalated pressure over Tehran's control measures in the Strait of
00:17Hormuz.
00:17In the statement announcing fresh sanctions, the US Treasury Department says anyone cooperating with the Strait Authority may be providing
00:26support or services to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, which Washington has already designated as a foreign terrorist
00:36organisation, the first time US has applied such a label to another country's military.
00:44On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ismail Bagai said Tehran would continue managing maritime traffic, adding that it was charging
00:53vessels for navigational services and denied claims that Tehran was imposing tolls on passing ships.
01:00US Treasury Secretary Scott Besson said Iran was attempting to exploit global maritime trade while seeking new sources of revenue
01:07through the Strait of Hormuz.
01:09Besson added that Washington had restricted Iranian income linked to weapon programs, proxy groups and nuclear activities across the region.
01:18He also said that US measures had prevented Tehran from assessing tens of billions of dollars in revenue.
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