Iran Blacklists 45 Tankers Amid U.S. Naval Blockade
Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority blacklisted 45 oil tankers and threatened cargo seizures as the U.S. launches a financial campaign to isolate Tehran.
The Persian Gulf Strait Authority, a newly established Iranian government agency, has blacklisted 45 oil tankers for violating trade regulations in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has threatened to fine, detain, or confiscate the cargoes of these vessels, as well as any ships engaging in ship-to-ship transfers with them. The blacklist includes vessels owned or chartered by Saudi Aramco, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, and South Korea's Sinokor Merchant Marine, targeting the shuttle runs used to move oil to the Gulf of Oman.
This escalation follows the August 17 expiration of a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran. Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf stated the strait would remain closed until the United States lifts its blockade of Iranian ports, releases frozen assets, and removes oil sanctions. In response, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent launched Operation Economic Outcast, an initiative urging global partners to sever financial ties with Iran.
President Donald Trump has asserted that the naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect, though he maintains the Strait of Hormuz is open and operating. Despite these claims, reports indicate maritime traffic has dropped to 20 percent of pre-war levels. The instability has prompted Indian oil refiners and companies like Formosa Petrochemical Corp to review their long-term delivery strategies to avoid security risks associated with the Iranian blacklist.
