19/04/2026
🇺🇸US forces getting ready to pursue, board ‘Iran-linked ships’ worldwide - report
The US military is making preparations to board and seize oil tankers and commercial vessels linked to Iran in international waters, anonymous officials have told WSJ.
◾️The potential acts of piracy, to be implemented in part by US Indo-Pacific Command naval assets, are said to be aimed at “forcing” Iran to “re-open” the Strait of Hormuz and “make concessions on its nuclear program.”
◾️CENTCOM says the US blockade of Iranian ports has turned back 23 ships to date – in line with the US’s double blockade of Hormuz.
◾️The US action threatens ~1.6-1.7M bpd of Iranian oil exports – just a fraction of the estimated 19-19.5M bpd in crude ordinarily flowing through Hormuz before Iran implemented transit restrictions in response to US-Israeli aggression.
◾️The strait’s closure has already triggered global economic shockwaves as far as the continental United States, including surging energy prices, supply chain issues and severe localized impacts in areas like agriculture and commercial air travel.
◾️Experts have warned that if the Hormuz crisis persists, it could trigger a severe global recession or even depression.
