Maritime Tensions Between Iran and the United States
Maritime tensions between Iran and the United States have intensified across multiple theaters, most notably in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and beyond the Middle East.
Maritime tensions between Iran and the United States have intensified across multiple theaters, most notably in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and beyond the Middle East. These tensions are increasingly shaped by U.S. sanctions enforcement, vessel seizures, and naval deployments, to which Iran has largely responded through reactive maritime enforcement and deterrence measures. The convergence of legal, military, and economic pressure at sea has transformed commercial shipping into a frontline of geopolitical confrontation.
In the latest incident, Iran’s judiciary announced that a legal case has been opened at the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office of Qeshm County concerning violations attributed to a seized foreign oil tanker and its detained crew. The vessel was intercepted near Qeshm Island by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, which stated that the tanker was carrying approximately four million liters of smuggled fuel. Sixteen non-Iranian crew members were arrested and are currently held under judicial detention orders. Iranian authorities have not disclosed the nationality of the detainees, the flag state of the vessel, or its ownership.
According to Mojtaba Ghahremani, Chief Justice of Hormozgan Province, the operation was carried out by the IRGC Navy’s First Naval District, which seized the tanker in waters adjacent to Qeshm Island. The seizure was publicly announced on December 24 by Abbas Gholamshahi, commander of the IRGC Navy’s First District, who stated that the tanker had received its cargo from smaller vessels and was preparing to transfer the fuel to larger ships outside the Persian Gulf, a method Iranian officials describe as part of organized fuel-smuggling networks. Iranian authorities have declared that both the tanker and its cargo will be confiscated.
Judicial officials assessed the combined value of the tanker and its cargo at 700 billion tomans, equivalent to approximately $5.2 million. Iran’s judiciary has stated that in such cases those convicted face prison sentences, fines of up to ten times the value of the seized fuel, and confiscation of vessels in favor of the state. Officials emphasized that the quantity of fuel seized in this case exceeds that of vessels intercepted in previous months, signaling an expansion in the scale of maritime enforcement.
Iranian authorities describe these actions as part of a broader campaign against fuel smuggling, intensified in recent months following directives from President Masoud Pezeshkian to increase enforcement along Iran’s southern and southeastern coasts. Over the past several years, Iran has repeatedly reported the seizure of vessels accused of illegal entry into Iranian waters or transporting contraband fuel, and has also seized foreign oil tankers, often without publicly identifying their ownership.
These Iranian actions have unfolded against a backdrop of recent U.S. maritime seizures and interdictions, which Tehran views as provocative and unilateral extensions of sanctions policy. In recent weeks, the United States seized two oil tankers near Venezuela, actions framed by Washington as sanctions enforcement but criticized by affected states and their allies as violations of maritime norms. In November 2025, U.S. forces boarded and inspected a cargo vessel traveling from China to Iran in the Indian Ocean, several hundred miles off the coast of Sri Lanka. U.S. officials reported that the cargo removed consisted of dual-use items that could be used in Iran’s conventional weapons and missile programs, and the shipment was confiscated and destroyed, while the vessel itself was allowed to continue its voyage. This operation was part of an expanded U.S. maritime interdiction strategy targeting shipments perceived as supporting Iran’s military supply chains, and reflected a broader pattern of U.S. enforcement actions at sea that Tehran views as coercive and destabilizing.
Iran has long maintained that its maritime actions are reactive, arguing that if U.S. sanctions prevent Iran from exporting its own oil, it cannot be expected to tolerate unrestricted exports by others. Iranian officials contend that the seizure of vessels and increased naval activity are defensive measures aimed at countering economic pressure rather than initiating escalation.
At the same time, the presence of U.S. and allied naval forces in the Persian Gulf has expanded, including multinational maritime security coalitions established to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran consistently describes these deployments as sources of instability, arguing that the security of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz is a legal and historical responsibility of regional states. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has repeatedly stated that “the United States must leave West Asia,” asserting that foreign military presence fuels insecurity rather than preventing it.
Taken together, recent developments suggest that Iran–U.S. tensions at sea are driven by a cycle of action and reaction, rooted primarily in sanctions, economic warfare, and maritime enforcement. As commercial shipping becomes increasingly securitized, the risk of miscalculation in crowded and strategically vital waterways continues to rise, carrying implications not only for regional stability but also for global energy markets and international maritime security.