Iran adds 45 tankers to blacklist, warns of fines and cargo seizure
Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority placed 45 vessels on a blacklist for alleged protocol breaches in the Strait of Hormuz and said they could face fines, detention or cargo confiscation, while the United States prepares new sanctions.
Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority announced on X that 45 tankers that it says violated transit protocols in the Strait of Hormuz have been blacklisted. The authority warned that the vessels could be fined, detained or have their cargo—including crude oil and liquefied natural gas—confiscated, and that ships assisting the listed vessels may also be penalized.
Among the vessels named were a ship operated by the United Arab Emirates' ADNOC Logistics and Shipping, its subsidiary Navig8 Tankers, and a Saudi Arabian carrier, Bahri. The move follows recent U.S. Treasury statements about impending sanctions.
"We are now entering the endgame. At dawn begins an economic D-Day — the single greatest financial offensive ever marshaled against an adversary," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote on X on Friday.
U.S. officials said the Treasury is preparing an announcement on secondary sanctions for entities that continue business with Iran, aiming to increase pressure on Tehran's economy, which has already been strained by high inflation.
Iranian officials responded with strong language, stating that any nation supporting the sanctions would be committing an "act of war" against Iran and promising "crushing, punishing and devastating" consequences.
"The war must come to an end at some point. It is better that we demonstrate our strength and dignity today and tell the world that we have won and that we are ending the war," President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised speech.
"No matter how much military power we have, if people are hungry and we do not have financial circulation and economic growth, we will not endure," Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf added.
The United States has maintained a naval presence in the strait since a memorandum of understanding with Iran collapsed in early July, limiting Iran's oil exports while allowing other ships to pass. Energy Secretary Chris Wright noted that oil flow through the strait remains robust, with a seven-day average of over 8 million barrels per day.
Bessent is slated to announce the new economic measures at 1 p.m. ET on Monday.