Iran has blacklisted 45 tankers for breaking its rules on crossing the Strait of Hormuz, threatening fines, detention and cargo confiscation six months into its war with the U.S. and Israel. The move lands alongside a new U.S. sanctions threat and a Chinese call for talks, keeping oil markets on edge over a waterway that carries a large share of global crude supply.
Blacklist threatens fines and confiscation
Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority named 45 vessels it says broke its rules for crossing the Strait of Hormuz, warning in a late-Sunday X post that the ships could be fined, detained or have their cargoes confiscated. The list includes very large crude carriers, liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas tankers, and clean product vessels.
Some of the named ships belong to the United Arab Emirates' ADNOC Logistics and Shipping and its subsidiary Navig8 Tankers, and to Saudi Arabia's Bahri. Ships owned by Klaveness Ship Management, Stolt Tankers and South Korea's Sinokor also appear on the list, and any vessel that transfers cargo ship-to-ship with a blacklisted tanker can be added too.
Tehran has brought shipping to a virtual standstill in the strait, refusing to allow unauthorized tankers to transit it, and the effective blockade has pushed up global oil prices.
Washington keeps some oil moving through the strait
The Gulf supplied about 20% of the world's daily crude oil and liquefied natural gas before the conflict disrupted tanker traffic. U.S.-coordinated efforts to quietly shuttle tankers through the strait to fill supertankers waiting outside it are helping restore some of that crude oil flow to global markets.
U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said the 7-day average of oil leaving the strait is over 8 million barrels a day. According to Wright: "oil is flowing through the Strait of Hormuz", thanks to the U.S. Navy.
Sanctions threat adds pressure on Tehran
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is due to hold a press conference at 2 p.m. EDT Monday after threatening to impose the toughest sanctions on Iran in history. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi dismissed the threat as a sign of desperation, saying Tehran has withstood worse and will withstand this too.
China, which buys more than 80% of Iran's shipped oil according to 2025 data from analytics firm Kpler, has urged diplomacy instead. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called Middle East tensions a critical point in a Monday meeting with Kuwait's foreign minister and pressed for immediate dialogue, while Iran has warned it would shut down all oil exports from the Gulf if the economic war continues.
The standoff leaves crude markets exposed to any sign that transit through Hormuz could stop altogether.
Sources: Investing.com, Investing.com, Investing.com
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