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The Trump administration is mulling a plan to pressure Tehran to make concessions on its uranium enrichment and ballistic missile program in lieu of a major air campaign.
By World Israel News Staff
The White House is considering massively expanding the seizure of tankers carrying Iranian oil as an alternative to a new air campaign against Tehran, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
According to the report, which cited multiple US officials, the administration is mulling the expanded use of tanker seizures as a way of ratcheting up pressure on Tehran, without the use of airstrikes, which would likely elicit a major response from the regime.
The US has periodically used naval forces to interdict ships to and from Iran, including vessels carrying Iranian oil.
Such a move would further restrict Iran’s primary source of foreign currency, as the Iranian economy continues to collapse.
The rial sank to a record low in late January, with a single US dollar worth more than 1.5 million rials.
While an aggressive naval blockade of Iran would ratchet up pressure without initiating a regional war, such a move could draw Iranian retaliation, with Tehran either responding with its own seizures of tankers linked to American allies, or by mining the Strait of Hormuz, shutting down the export of oil through the Persian Gulf and likely raising global petroleum prices by 25%.
The US has sanctioned more than 20 Iranian-linked vessels this year and recently added 14 more ships and several shipping companies to its sanctions list. Since the partial blockade went into effect two months ago, several ships carrying Iran oil have been seized.
However, boarding all vessels carrying Iranian oil would require significant military and logistical resources.
The US has increased its naval assets in the Persian Gulf, though it is unclear whether the force currently active in the Gulf would be sufficient to enforce a tightened blockade while also responding to potential Iranian retaliation.
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