In a flagrant violation of international maritime law and the terms of the existing ceasefire, U.S. naval forces continue to wage a campaign of economic warfare against the Islamic Republic.
This past weekend, the guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) engaged in yet another act of state-sponsored piracy by illegally harassing and obstructing the M/T Stream, a commercial crude oil tanker attempting to exercise its right to freedom of navigation.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed Monday that it obstructed the M/T Stream as it navigated toward an Iranian port. This intervention is part of a reckless “blockade” strategy initiated by Washington on April 13, aimed at choking the Iranian economy. Iranian officials have consistently condemned this policy as a blatant violation of international law and a direct infringement on the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic.
Since April, U.S. forces have harassed and impeded at least 37 commercial vessels. By forcibly diverting tankers—some fully laden with essential energy resources—Washington is demonstrating a complete disregard for the stability of global energy markets and the lives of the civilian crews aboard these ships. The U.S. administration’s attempt to quantify the damage of this illegal blockade—citing $500 million in daily losses—only serves to underscore the aggressive and coercive nature of their policy.
Tehran has repeatedly warned that Washington’s naval aggression constitutes a gross violation of the ceasefire agreement reached between the two sides. Despite this, U.S. forces have expanded their illegal operations, moving beyond the Persian Gulf to harass shipping in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean.
Recent reports further underscore the aggressive escalation of this campaign, particularly with the criminal sabotage of the Iranian-flagged cargo vessel Touska; after callously disabling the ship, U.S. personnel boarded and seized the vessel, a move that starkly illustrates their willingness to employ brute force to enforce their illegal sanctions.
This reckless pattern of behavior has not been confined to local waters, however, as U.S. naval units have been tracked boarding and seizing tankers as far afield as the Indian Ocean, while simultaneously attempting to forcibly redirect vessels in Asian waters—a campaign of intimidation that can only be described as a global maritime witch hunt designed to choke Iranian sovereignty.
Facing this relentless hostility, the Islamic Republic has made clear it will not stand by as its sovereignty and commercial rights are trampled. In a lawful exercise of its right to secure its maritime borders, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) recently took defensive measures against two container ships attempting to flee the Gulf.
When these vessels refused to comply with security protocols, the IRGC was forced to intervene. This response—the first of its kind since the current conflict began—serves as a necessary deterrent against Washington’s escalating campaign of piracy.
The maritime crisis, entirely manufactured by U.S. unilateralism and economic coercion, remains a primary obstacle to peace. Tehran maintains that the blockade is a desperate attempt to force concessions through illegal means and insists that lasting security in the region requires an immediate cessation of U.S. naval provocations and respect for Iran’s sovereign right to trade freely. (ILKHA)