Ships in the Strait of Hormuz, off the port city of Bandar Abbas, in southern Iran, on Aug. 10, 2026. Photo Atta Kenare/AFP
This is another attempt to bring Iran to heel. Until now, the U.S. military’s preferred military targets in its war against the Islamic Republic as Washington was wary of triggering a surge in hydrocarbon prices. The U.S. administration even rebuked its ally Israel for striking Iranian energy infrastructure in March. But on the evening of Sept. 1, the U.S. military targeted two Iranian oil tankers during a wave of strikes in the south of the country. Several media outlets confirmed the reports, while U.S. forces said in a statement that they had targeted “maritime assets.” According to a U.S. official cited by Axios, this marks a new policy toward Iran, a “tanker for tanker” policy aimed at responding to attacks on vessels attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. ‘Trump strait’ at an impasseFreedom of navigation through this...
This is another attempt to bring Iran to heel. Until now, the U.S. military’s preferred military targets in its war against the Islamic Republic as Washington was wary of triggering a surge in hydrocarbon prices. The U.S. administration even rebuked its ally Israel for striking Iranian energy infrastructure in March. But on the evening of Sept. 1, the U.S. military targeted two Iranian oil tankers during a wave of strikes in the south of the country. Several media outlets confirmed the reports, while U.S. forces said in a statement that they had targeted “maritime assets.” According to a U.S. official cited by Axios, this marks a new policy toward Iran, a “tanker for tanker” policy aimed at responding to attacks on vessels attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. ‘Trump strait’ at an impasseFreedom of navigation...
