Iran establishes the "Persian Gulf Strait Administration (PGSA)," issuing a strict order: passing through the Hormuz Strait without permission is illegal.

Controlling 20% of the world’s oil lifeline through the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s officialdom has ushered in a tough “new master”! Yesterday (18th), Iran’s authorities prominently launched the “Persian Gulf Strait Management Bureau (PGSA)” X account, and issued a bilingual statement, strongly declaring that this agency is the sole legitimate authority for managing the strait.
PGSA warns global shipping operators that in the future, passage through the strait “must be pre-approved”; uncoordinated vessels will be considered illegal.
(Background summary: Axios: U.S. officials criticize Iran’s new ceasefire proposal as “insincere,” Trump threatens: no concessions, use bombs to dialogue)
(Additional background: Breaking news: Iran proposes “long-term ceasefire” and gradual reopening of the Hormuz Strait! Agrees to freeze nuclear plans and transfer enriched uranium to Russia)

The geopolitical game in the Middle East has entered a new phase, with Iran deciding to “normalize” control over strategic waters.

Yesterday (18th), a highly watched new official account appeared on the X (formerly Twitter) platform — Persian Gulf Strait Management Bureau (Persian Gulf Strait Authority, abbreviated PGSA), with the account handle @PGSA_IRAN. The account is marked as an official Iranian agency, responsible for managing the shipping traffic through the critical oil transit chokepoint, the “Hormuz Strait.”

Bilingual announcement goes live, garnering over 2 million views in half a day

After the official PGSA account was launched, it demonstrated high activity and social influence. The agency first posted a bilingual announcement in Persian and English, aiming to provide real-time updates on the strait’s operations worldwide.

Among them, the English version of the launch announcement (“The official X account of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority is now live…”) quickly sparked widespread discussion online, accumulating over 8,100 likes, 1,600 retweets within half a day, and the view count soared past 2.16 million. The account’s follower count is also rapidly increasing, currently surpassing 33k followers.

In the Name of God

The official X account of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (#PGSA) is now live.
Follow us for real‑time updates on the #Hormuz_Strait operations and latest developments.

— PGSA | نهاد مدیریت آبراه خلیج فارس (@PGSA_IRAN) May 18, 2026

PGSA’s first strong move: uncoordinated passage will be considered “illegal”

Subsequently, PGSA posted a lengthy thread divided into two parts, clearly defining the agency’s authority positioning and issuing a stern warning and new regulations to the global shipping community:

• Establishing sole legitimacy: PGSA claims to be the only legitimate official agency representing the Islamic Republic of Iran in managing navigation through the Hormuz Strait.
• Mandatory prior approval: All navigation activities within the waters designated by Iran’s armed forces and authorities must be fully coordinated with PGSA in advance.
• Unapproved passage is illegal: The official sternly warns that any passage without permission will be regarded by Iran as “Illegal”.