US considers global push to block Iranian oil shipments
The US president, Donald Trump, has pledged to reinstate his " maximum pressure" campaign to isolate Iran from the global economy and reduce its oil exports to zero in a bid to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons, according to a report by Reuters.
Since the start of his second term, the administration has imposed two new rounds of sanctions targeting Iranian companies and the so-called "shadow fleet" of aging tankers that operate without Western insurance and transport crude from sanctioned countries.
These efforts align closely with limited measures taken by former President Joe Biden's administration, during which Iran managed to increase its oil exports through complex smuggling networks, the report added.
According to six sources who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, Trump officials are exploring options to enable 'allied nations to stop and inspect' vessels transiting key chokepoints, such as the Strait of Malacca in Asia and other major shipping lanes.
The sources said such actions could delay crude deliveries to refineries and damage the reputations of those facilitating the trade, potentially exposing them to sanctions. "You don't have to sink ships or arrest people to have that chilling effect that this is just not worth the risk. The delay in delivery ... instills uncertainty in that illicit trade network,' a source told Reuters.
The administration is studying whether such maritime inspections could take place under the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), launched in 2003 to curb the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction.
Another source noted that the mechanism could allow foreign governments, at Washington's request, to target Iranian oil shipments, effectively delaying deliveries and disrupting the supply chains Tehran relies on for revenue. However, two sources added that the National Security Council, which shapes White House policy, is currently reviewing the feasibility of such at-sea inspections.
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