How U.S. Ship Boardings Have Kicked Off a New Phase of the Iran War | WSJ

TL;DR

The U.S. is seizing Iran-linked oil tankers worldwide as part of 'economic fury,' a maximum-pressure blockade to cut off Iranian oil revenue during nuclear negotiations.

Key Points

• 1.The U.S. launched a two-phase pressure campaign against Iran. 'Epic fury' was a bombing campaign; 'economic fury' is a blockade of Iranian ports cutting off hundreds of millions of dollars daily in trade — an act legal experts say is lawful under international law.
• 2.The U.S. seized the vessel Tiffany in the Indo-Pacific, carrying ~2 million barrels of Iranian oil. Loaded at Carg Island, this marked the expansion of ship seizures beyond the Middle East to target 'dark fleet' vessels globally, mirroring prior U.S. enforcement against Venezuela-linked ships.
• 3.Iran retaliated by attacking commercial ships and halting nuclear negotiations. Tehran says talks will only resume after the U.S. lifts the blockade, but Trump, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant, and other officials insist the pressure campaign stays until a deal is reached.