TrustAsia Revokes PGSA Web Certificate After 4-Day Access as U.S. Warns of Iran Sanctions Risk
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 18
TrustAsia Revokes PGSA Web Certificate After 4-Day Access as U.S. Warns of Iran Sanctions Risk
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 18
Summary
TrustAsia withdrew the SSL/TLS certificate for Iran’s sanctioned Persian Gulf Straits Authority on Aug. 21, ending a four-day restoration of secure access to pgsa.ir after the Chinese firm had issued a domain-validated credential.
The certificate had let PGSA resume secure vessel vetting and Strait of Hormuz toll collection, while its earlier loss after a May 27 U.S. sanctions designation had pushed users onto unencrypted connections that internet monitors said were vulnerable to interception.
TrustAsia said the certificate was issued automatically through routine domain-control checks, not legal-identity or sanctions screening, and that it has now blocked the entire pgsa.ir namespace from future issuance or renewal.
Former OFAC official Jeremy Paner said even automated, limited services to a sanctioned Iranian entity can be sanctionable, urging TrustAsia to strengthen compliance because PGSA is tied to the IRGC and Hormuz revenue collection is likely to draw close U.S. scrutiny.
The case highlights how browser trust in Chinese certificate authorities can collide with U.S. sanctions policy, though Treasury’s nearly 60 Iran-linked designations on Aug. 24 did not include TrustAsia.