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US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks with reporters in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 28 (local time). / Photo via AP, Yonhap

The United States intensified its economic pressure campaign against Iran on May 28 (local time) by slapping additional sanctions on airlines, moving forward with punitive measures even as Washington simultaneously pursues ceasefire negotiations with Tehran.

"We are moving to block Iranian airlines from landing sites, refueling, and ticket-sale access," US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on social media, though he did not immediately specify which commercial or cargo carriers would be hit by the restrictions.

"We are continuing our campaign of 'economic fury' against the Iranian regime," Bessent explained, adding that "their military is unpaid, their police are not working, and Kharg Island—Iran's primary crude oil export hub—is shut down."

The Treasury chief added that "the Iranian economy and currency are in free fall." Concurrently, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) as a sanctioned entity the previous day.

The PGSA is an administrative body recently established by Tehran to levy and extract maritime transit tolls within the Strait of Hormuz.

The Treasury Department condemned the entity, stating that "the PGSA, backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), is demanding tolls from vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz and forcing them to navigate through routes arbitrarily designated by Tehran."

Furthermore, US authorities issued stern warnings to multinational corporations and state-backed entities, cautioning them against transferring toll payments to Iran or attempting to disguise such financial transactions as humanitarian aid.

                                                                                                           Kim Hyun-min