US Navy Issues Updated Advisory Broadening Naval Blockade of Iran
The US Navy has issued an updated advisory that significantly broadens the scope of its naval blockade of Iran, asserting the right to board and seize Iran-linked vessels regardless of their location on the open seas.
According to the updated guidance published by the US Central Command on Thursday (April 16), the blockade initially applied to the entire Iranian coastline, including all ports and oil terminals. The new advisory further asserts that Iranian vessels, Ofac-sanctioned vessels, and those suspected of carrying “contraband” – goods destined for an “enemy” and susceptible to use in armed conflict – are subject to “belligerent right to visit, board, search, and seizure” at any location, not solely within the blockade enforcement area.
Contraband List Encompasses Vast Array of Civilian Goods
The accompanying contraband list is so expansive that it effectively constitutes a total maritime embargo on the Iranian economy. The list includes “absolute contraband” items such as weapons, ammunition, military vehicles, and missile components. It also classifies crude oil, lubricants, iron, steel, and rare earth elements, among a vast array of civilian goods, as “conditional contraband,” citing their dual-use nature.
Conditional contraband – goods liable to capture when circumstances suggest military end-use – casts a far wider net, encompassing virtually every category essential to a modern industrial economy. Petroleum products are classified as conditional contraband due to their “essential role in military operations and contribution to Iran‘s war-sustaining economy,” providing basis for the US to seize Iranian oil cargoes well beyond the blockade zone.
Shadow Fleet Tankers Operating in Gulf of Oman and Malaysia
Analysis of Lloyd’s List Intelligence vessel-tracking shows there are 109 shadow fleet tankers actively signalling they are in the Gulf of Oman, with another 77 showing off the coast of Malaysia, both of which are regular spots for the transhipment of Iranian crude. Many shadow fleet vessels are not detectable using Automatic Identification System data as they deliberately disable their transponders to avoid detection. Others manipulate their location information so the position transmitted via AIS is not their true coordinates.
Implications for Global Oil Markets
The sweeping list also includes “absolute contraband” items such as weapons, ammunition, military vehicles, and missile components. It also classifies crude oil, lubricants, iron, steel, and rare earth elements, among a vast array of civilian goods, as “conditional contraband,” citing their dual-use nature. The threshold for seizure – when “the totality of circumstances indicates intended military end-use” – affords US naval forces enormous discretionary latitude, meaning almost any industrial cargo bound for Iran could plausibly be intercepted.
The move comes as the Strait of Hormuz traffic has remained muted following the breakdown of peace talks and the blockade announcement, with some vessels observed changing course and turning back.
Original Article: US claims right to seize Iran-linked vessels anywhere beyond neutral waters — Lloyd’s List