continues to increase in the Persian Gulf. This Monday, Washington confirmed the interception of a new Iranian oil tanker within the framework of the maritime blockade that it has maintained on the ports of the Persian country since mid-April.
According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), The destroyer USS Rafael Peralta detained the ship M/T Stream after it attempted to head towards an Iranian port. The operation is part of the pressure strategy that the Donald Trump Administration has deployed in one of the most sensitive energy routes on the planet.
A blockade that already affects dozens of ships
Although there are no consolidated official figures, local media indicate that at least 39 vessels sailing to or from Iran have been forced to stop their activity since the beginning of the blockade on April 13.
Regarding seizures, the number is smaller but significant: At least two Iranian cargo ships have been captured, in addition to an oil tanker suspected of transporting crude oil from the country.
The movement reinforces a strategy that seeks to economically suffocate Tehran in the midst of a halt in negotiations, after Iran abandoned the talks planned in Islamabad last weekend.
Washington defends the measure: “It is not a total blockade”
The Secretary of State, He stood up to the criticism and defended the operation with a key nuance: “The blockade is not a blockade against maritime transport, it is a blockade against Iranian transport.”
Rubio justified the strategy by ensuring that Iran cannot benefit from a system that considers it “illegal and unjustified”, a strategic point through which a crucial part of the world’s oil supply passes.
His statements come at a time of maximum diplomatic uncertainty, with negotiations frozen and no date for a new round of contacts.
Iran responds harshly: “Pirates” and “terrorists”
Tehran’s reaction was immediate. The Iranian ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, directly accused the United States of acting outside international law:
“The United States is acting like pirates and terrorists attacking merchant ships through coercion and intimidation.”
The diplomat denounced that Washington It is confiscating ships, detaining crews and putting the safety of international navigation at risk.
Furthermore, Iran qualified the interception of the M/T Stream as an act of “piracy and armed robbery on the high seas”further raising the tone of the conflict.
Hormuz, in the center of the board
The Strait of Hormuz once again becomes the epicenter of the crisis. As Iran maintains its own control over the area, Washington is intensifying its pressure to limit the country’s oil export capacity.
Tehran, for its part, insists that its measures seek to balance State security with the continuity of maritime traffic. in an environment he describes as “volatile and high risk.”
Broken negotiations… and no clear way out
The blockade comes at a particularly delicate time. Talks between both countries are completely stalled after the withdrawal of the Iranian delegation from Pakistan, which has left any diplomatic progress up in the air.
Even so, according to recent information, Iran would have submitted a new proposal through international mediators: reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war, postponing the debate on its nuclear program until later.
At the moment, it is not clear whether the The White House is willing to study that offer.
A pulse that goes beyond the sea
The confrontation is no longer just military or diplomatic. It is also economic and strategic, with the control of energy routes as a key piece. As the US intensifies its pressure and Iran raises the tone of its accusations, the margin for an agreement appears increasingly narrow.
And with each oil tanker intercepted, the feeling is the same: the conflict is still far from bottoming out.
