The U.S. will seize oil tankers and merchant ships linked to Iran
19 April 21:15
In the coming days, the U.S. military will begin boarding and seizing oil tankers and merchant ships linked to Iran in international waters. The Wall Street Journal reported this, citing sources among U.S. officials, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to the publication, the decision by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to intensify economic pressure on Tehran is aimed at forcing the Iranian regime to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and make concessions regarding its nuclear program.
Planning for the operation is taking place as the Iranian military continues to tighten its control over the strait. On Saturday, April 18, they attacked several merchant ships, stating that the waterway is under “strict Iranian control,” the WSJ writes. The attack occurred the day after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared that the strait was fully open to commercial shipping—a statement Trump had previously welcomed.
However, by Saturday evening, Iranian authorities announced that the strait was closed again. According to Mehr News Agency, the Central Headquarters of the Iranian organization “Khatam al-Anbia” stated that transit through the strait had returned to a regime of strict military control. In Tehran, officials attributed this decision to U.S. actions, calling the American naval blockade piracy.
“For this reason, control over the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state, and this strategic waterway is under the strict management and control of the armed forces,” The Guardian quotes a statement from the Iranian Armed Forces’ Operational Command.
The strait will remain closed, the statement notes, “until the U.S. restores full freedom of navigation” for ships traveling to and from Iran.
Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command reports that within a few days of the naval blockade initiated by the U.S., 23 vessels attempting to leave Iranian ports have already been intercepted. However, the new campaign, as reported by the WSJ, will allow the U.S. to take control of Iran-linked vessels worldwide—including those carrying Iranian oil that are already outside the Persian Gulf, as well as ships transporting weapons to support the Iranian regime.
Officially, a ceasefire remains in effect between the U.S. and Iran, and the parties are negotiating a peace agreement through intermediaries. However, Trump decided to organize a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz for ships heading to or from Iranian ports, as well as for vessels linked to Iran. The reason was Tehran’s refusal during the negotiations in Islamabad to abandon uranium enrichment.
Ibrahim Azizi, chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, commented on the escalation on social media platform X: “We warned you, but you paid no attention. Now enjoy the return of the Strait of Hormuz to the status quo.”
