The European Union has imposed sanctions on an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy unit and two Iranian individuals over alleged disruptions to maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
The sanctions, announced on Monday, also target the IRGC’s Hormozgan Provincial Naval Command, alongside Mohammad Akbarzadeh and Hamid Hosseini.
EU officials said the measures were taken in response to actions that undermined freedom of navigation in the strategic waterway, a key global oil shipping route.
The move marks the first application of the EU’s new sanctions framework designed to protect maritime transit and respond to threats against international shipping.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc would continue to act against those responsible for disrupting global trade routes, stressing the importance of safeguarding open sea lanes.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global oil supply passes, has remained a major flashpoint amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
