By Shelby Holliday, Costas Paris and Jared Malsin

Trump administration officials have discussed whether to seize additional tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil to pressure Tehran but have held off, concerned about the regime's near-certain retaliation and the impact on global oil markets, U.S. officials said.

The U.S. has seized several ships that have carried Iranian oil as part of its two-month-old blockade of sanctioned tankers serving Venezuela. The tankers, which make up the so-called shadow fleet, help transport illicit oil from numerous sanctioned countries to China and other buyers.

A move by the U.S. to block other sanctioned ships from loading oil in Iran would squeeze Tehran's main source of revenue, expanding the aggressive strategy the White House put in place in December in the Caribbean.

But the option, one of several the White House has been debating to coerce Tehran to reach a deal restricting its nuclear program, faces many obstacles, some of the officials said. , which is considered an act of war

Iran is likely to respond to a stepped-up U.S. crackdown by seizing tankers carrying oil from U.S. allies in the region or even by mining the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow exit from the Persian Gulf, through which as much as 25% of the world's petroleum supply passes. Either move is likely to drive up oil prices sharply, risking a political firestorm for the White House.

More than 20 ships that transport Iranian oil have been sanctioned by the Treasury Department this year, making them possible seizure targets, officials say.

If the U.S. did board one of the sanctioned vessels, it would have to divert personnel and possibly other ships to escort the tanker either to the U.S. or some other location willing to store the Iranian crude, officials said.

Tehran carried out a bloody crackdown last month on demonstrations that erupted across the country over its collapsing currency and worsening economic conditions.

President Trump, who promised to come to the protesters' aid, has ordered a major buildup of U.S. forces in the region and is ramping up pressure on Iran after opening negotiations. Iran has expressed willingness to discuss its nuclear program but has refused to end enrichment of uranium, a key U.S. demand, and to discuss its missile program or support for regional militias in the talks.

Asked to comment on the possibility that the U.S. would board Iran-linked tankers, a White House official said Trump prefers diplomacy but that he has multiple options at his disposal if the talks collapse.

U.S. strikes on Iranian territory could damage the regime but potentially leave it intact, and Tehran has pledged to bomb U.S. bases if attacked. Targeting tankers, by contrast, could further weaken the regime by worsening its economic isolation.

The network of shadow fleet tankers conceals their role in transporting oil from Iran, Russia and other sanctioned countries. There are about 1,000 such vessels in the network, according to some shipping analysts. If the ships are falsely flagged or flagged to a country that disowns them, the tankers can be subject to U.S. jurisdiction while in international waters.

The Treasury Department said last week it was sanctioning 14 more ships registered in countries such as Barbados, Cameroon and Panama for transporting Iranian petroleum in violation of sanctions, along with shipping companies in multiple countries that it said managed the vessels. Not all of the vessels are in the waters near Iran, according to ship tracking companies like Lloyds List Intelligence.

The sanctions aim to stem the flow of revenue to the regime and lay the legal groundwork for potential seizures. The U.S. imposed similar sanctions on Iran-linked vessels in

January.

"You could just sit outside in the Arabian Sea and then start with one tanker and then see what happens," said Erik Meyersson, a chief emerging markets strategist at the Swedish bank SEB.

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, which is sailing off the coast of Oman near the Persian Gulf, could serve as a base of operations for boardings. The five guided-missile destroyers in the region could also be used to block or influence the movement of oil tankers.

The U.S. also has a Coast Guard presence in Bahrain, across from Iran in the Persian Gulf. The Coast Guard, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has law-enforcement authority to enforce U.S. sanctions against trading Iranian oil and would likely be used to lead any tanker boardings, legal analysts said.

Iran has taken over or attacked commercial vessels in past confrontations with the U.S., including during the "tanker war" of the 1980s. Hundreds of ships were attacked at the time.

A closure of the strait by Iran would likely prompt a U.S. military response, though reopening the waterway if it was mined by Iran could take time, analysts said.

"Blocking the strait isn't in anyone's interest, including Iran's. But if they feel that they're cornered, they'll do it. And they have the logistics to do it," said Bader Al-Saif, an academic at Kuwait University. The rest of the Gulf countries would face major challenges exporting oil, he said.

"It's not Venezuela. I think he knows this," Al-Saif said of Trump.

Last week, an Iranian drone and two Iranian boats from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps approached a U.S.-flagged tanker that was transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. Central Command. The U.S. sent a warship and aircraft to escort the ship to a port in Bahrain.

So far, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz hasn't been significantly affected, according to shipping data firm Kpler. However on Monday, the U.S. Transportation Department warned commercial vessels about Iranian threats in the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman. Vessels "have long been at risk of being hailed, queried, boarded, detained, or seized by Iranian forces," it said, advising ships to coordinate with the U.S. military.

In Venezuela, the U.S. has limited its seizures to vessels that are sanctioned or engaging in deceptive tactics, stopping short of imposing a full blockade, which is considered an act of war.

U.S. forces have chased some of those ships around the world to board them and send a message that the U.S. won't tolerate illicit activity. The U.S. seized a tanker in the Indian Ocean on Monday that had fled Venezuela after the U.S. captured its former leader Nicolás Maduro. So far no tankers have been seized in the heavily-traveled sea lanes near Iran as part of that campaign.

In January, crude loadings from Venezuela fell to about half of normal levels, according to shipping analytics provider Kpler. The only ships that are loading crude at Venezuela's ports are tankers bound for the U.S. and those taking oil to Venezuelan refineries, the company said.

China is Iran's biggest oil client with an armada of shadow fleet vessels moving oil to independent refiners at discounts of around $10 a barrel below market rates. Iranian supplies have become more prominent to China, which used to get discounted oil from Venezuela.

Write to Shelby Holliday at shelby.holliday@wsj.com, Costas Paris at costas.paris@wsj.com and Jared Malsin at jared.malsin@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 10, 2026 15:53 ET (20:53 GMT)

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