The concept was shelved due to the risk of repercussions and the prospective consequence on global petroleum costs.
Tanker / © Associated Press
Representatives from Donald Trump's government explored the chance of impounding tankers shipping Iranian petroleum.
The Wall Street Journal disseminates this information.
It is indicated that the US has already confiscated a number of vessels transporting Iranian petroleum as a component of a two-month embargo on sanctioned tankers serving Venezuela.
These tankers, a segment of the alleged “shadow fleet,” aid in the conveyance of “illicit oil” from nations under penalties, encompassing deliveries to China and other purchasers.
Politico notes that a US barricade of Iranian oil loading for such tankers could debilitate Tehran's primary revenue stream. This would align with the strategy the White House utilized in December within the Caribbean.
Functionaries emphasized that this constituted one of various avenues the Trump administration possessed to coerce Iran into endorsing an agreement to restrain its nuclear initiative, however such an action would be deemed a belligerent act.
In rejoinder, Iran might impound oil tankers belonging to U.S. allies or plant mines in the Strait of Hormuz, through which as much as 25% of the world’s petroleum transits. Both situations would conceivably elevate petroleum prices drastically, establishing political strain on the White House.
Per officials, in 2026 alone, the US Treasury Department enforced penalties on upwards of 20 ships carrying Iranian petroleum, rendering them viable objectives for confiscation.
Prior reports indicated that the US military executed an operation to halt the Aquila II vessel, which was conveying Russian and Venezuelan petroleum in contravention of sanctions.
We previously communicated that the US had dispatched an additional destroyer, the Delbert D. Black, to the Middle East.