Trump administration’s strategy, Trump administration’s strategy, According to people familiar with the situation, the administration of President Donald Trump is thinking about stopping and inspecting Iranian oil tankers at sea as part of an international agreement to prevent the spread of WMDs, Reuters reported.
Trump administration’s strategy, In order to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, Trump has pledged to launch a “maximum pressure” campaign to cut off Iran’s oil exports and isolate it from the rest of the world economy.
Trump targeted businesses and the so-called shadow fleet of aging oil tankers that transport petroleum from sanctioned nations and sail without Western insurance in the initial weeks of his second administration.
The majority of those actions have been consistent with the few policies put in place under former President Joe Biden’s administration, when Iran was able to increase its oil shipments through intricate smuggling networks.
Trump administration’s strategy, Due to the sensitive nature of the topic, six people who asked not to be named said that Trump officials are now considering ways for allies to halt and check ships passing through important chokepoints like the Malacca Strait in Asia and other sea ways.
Crude would not be delivered to refiners on time. Additionally, it might subject those who helped facilitate the sale to penalties and harm to their reputation, the sources said.
“You don’t have to sink ships or arrest people to have that chilling effect that this is just not worth the risk,” according to one of the insiders.
“The delay in delivery … instills uncertainty in that illicit trade network.”
Trump administration’s strategy, The administration was investigating whether the Proliferation Security Initiative, which was started in 2003 with the goal of stopping the trafficking of WMDs, could be used to carry out inspections at sea.
That initiative was spearheaded by the United States and has been signed by more than 100 governments.
According to one of the sources, this method might allow other governments to target Iran’s oil exports at Washington’s request, so impairing supply lines that Tehran depends on for income and delaying deliveries.
According to two of the sources, the White House policy-making National Security Council was considering conducting potential maritime inspections.
Whether Washington has yet to test the willingness of Proliferation Security Initiative signatories to collaborate on the plan was not clear.
When the effort was first conceived, John Bolton, the U.S. lead negotiator, told Reuters that “it would be fully justified” to use the initiative to slow down Iran’s oil shipments. He pointed out that petroleum sales were “obviously critical to raise revenue for the government of Iran to conduct both its proliferation activities and support for terrorism.”
A request for comment was not answered by the White House National Security Council.
Separate requests for comment were not answered by Iran’s foreign and oil ministries.
On March 2, Masoud Pezeshkian, the president of Iran, informed the Iranian parliament that Trump “has once again signed an order sanctioning many of our ships at sea, leaving them uncertain about how to unload their oil and gas cargo.” He was referring to Trump’s latest round of sanctions.
According to estimates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Tehran’s oil exports generated $53 billion in 2023 and $54 billion in 2021, mostly from trade with China, despite recent U.S. sanctions.
Iran’s primary source of income is oil exports to China. Russia, which is subject to Western sanctions and limitations on oil exports, is also interested in delivering oil to consumers in China and India.
In recent months, Finland and other Nordic nations have issued warnings about the risks that ships operating near their coastlines pose to the environment in the event of an accident, including the potential for oil spills.
European nations have discussed inspecting vessels carrying Russian oil that may not have adequate insurance.