Iran Hormuz Strait: Guard seizes two oil tankers as Trump threatens retaliation

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps boarded two commercial tankers near the Hormuz Strait on Friday.

The Guard detained a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel carrying Iraqi crude and turned back a second tanker heading for Saudi Arabia, according to maritime tracking data.

The seizures came hours after President Donald Trump accused Tehran of “trying to blackmail” global oil markets and vowed that such tactics “won’t work.” Roughly 20 percent of the world’s crude passes through the narrow waterway, making it the most sensitive chokepoint in global energy trade.

Shipping monitors said Iranian speedboats surrounded the 274-meter tanker “St. Nicolo” at 07:14 a.m. local time while it transited the strait’s inbound shipping lane. The vessel, managed by Greece-based Thenamaris, had loaded 2 million barrels of Basrah crude at Iraq’s Al-Basra oil terminal and was bound for Houston, according to Refinitiv ship data.

A second tanker, the Bahamian-flagged “Morning Compass” owned by Saudi Arabia’s Bahri, was ordered to reverse course after Guard officers questioned its captain by radio, the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations office reported. Neither company responded to requests for comment.

U.S. Fifth Fleet spokesman Commander Timothy Hawkins confirmed “two separate harassment incidents” and said American destroyer USS Laboon shadowed the Iranian craft. “No injuries or damage reported, but these actions violate international law,” Hawkins told reporters in Manama, Bahrain.

Trump posted on Truth Social at 10:02 a.m. Washington time: “Iran is playing with fire. If they think they can blackmail the world by choking oil traffic they are wrong. The USA will respond — and fast.” He did not specify what measures were under consideration.

European powers urged restraint. France’s foreign ministry called the boardings “a dangerous escalation,” while British Defense Secretary James Cartlidge told the House of Commons that Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose had increased patrols. “Freedom of navigation is non-negotiable,” Cartlidge said.

Oil prices jumped 4.3 percent within 30 minutes of the incident, pushing Brent crude to $77.90 a barrel before easing to $76.40. Analysts warned that sustained disruption could add $10 to global prices. “The market is jittery because spare capacity is thin,” said RBC Capital’s Helima Croft.

Iranian state media defended the moves. The IRGC’s Sepah News claimed the vessels committed “environmental infractions,” without providing evidence. Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf praised Guardsmen for “defending our maritime sovereignty.”

Background

Iran has sporadically seized tankers since 2019, when Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear accord and imposed sweeping sanctions on Iranian oil exports. Tit-for-tat ship captures followed the British detention of an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar that year. Most vessels were released after weeks or months, often after logistical concessions.

The Hormuz Strait is 33 kilometers wide at its narrowest point. International law grants Iran and Oman shared territorial waters, but commercial traffic enjoys a transit passage regime akin to high-seas freedoms. Tehran disputes this interpretation and insists foreign ships comply with its regulations inside Iran’s 12-mile territorial limit.

What’s Next

The U.N. Security Council will meet privately on Monday at Washington’s request. Gulf diplomats expect European nations to push for a joint maritime monitoring mission, while U.S. officials weigh sanctions on Iranian ports and shipping lines. Industry executives fear insurers could raise war-risk premiums, adding millions to voyage costs.

Energy traders will watch for any Iranian attempt to halt traffic entirely, a move that could provoke U.S. or Israeli military action and send prices toward triple digits, repeating the shock of the 1980s Tanker War when Iraq and Iran attacked hundreds of vessels.