US Prepares To Board Iran-Linked Ships Globally Following Iranian Gunboat Attack On Tanker In Hormuz

Summary:

• US officials: War may resume if no peace talks breakthrough: Axios
• Two Iranian gu
  

  The Take

  Marcus Webb · Surveillance & Tech Privacy

  # THE TAKE The boarding protocol announcement is theater masking institutional drift. The US doesn't need new authority—it already possesses it under UNCLOS Article 110 and decades of precedent. This statement signals something else: admission that existing intelligence collection failed to prevent the incident. The real provocation? Global boarding operations require cooperation most allies won't provide without political cover. Hence the public announcement—forcing compliance through embarrassment. Technical note: Iran's gunboat approach was deliberate, calculable risk. They knew response thresholds. The tanker strike wasn't random aggression; it's signaling capacity to disrupt $2T annual shipping volume. What officials won't say: boarding random Iran-linked vessels generates predictable blowback—exactly what Tehran needs to justify escalation to domestic constituencies. The cycle perpetuates. This isn't deterrence. It's choreography.

  What the Documents Show

  My story on @axios New Delhi has summoned the Iranian ambassador to condemn the IRGC Navy's attack on one of its tankers earlier in the day: According to the latest headlines there was a second tanker incident : a Container ship reportedly hit by ' unknown projectile' in second incident while other traffic stalls . Meanwhile on Saturday the Pentagon is signaling yet another major escalation in the latest effort to reassert US leverage over the Hormuz crisis. It is preparing to expand the fight not just to the Hormuz/Persian Gulf regions, but broadly to the high seas. military is preparing in coming days to board Iran-linked oil tankers and seize commercial ships in international waters, according to U.S. officials, expanding its naval crackdown beyond the Middle East," WSJ reports.

  🔎 Mainstream angle: The corporate press either ignored this story entirely or buried it in a 3-sentence brief. The framing, when it appeared at all, focused on process rather than impact.

  Follow the Money

  This means the American military will pursue vessels around the world that are helping Iran , as it steps up 'Economic Fury' as an extension of 'Epic Furty'. WSJ comments further: The planning comes as the Iranian military continues to tighten its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, attacking several commercial vessels on Saturday as it declared the waterway was being “strictly controlled” by Iran . The developments sent shipping companies scrambling a day after Iran’s foreign minister said the strait was fully open to commercial traffic—an announcement that was welcomed by President Trump. Audio of the Indian oil tanker Sanmar Herald pleading with Iranian forces to stop shooting at it in the Strait of Hormuz this morning. pic.twitter.com/7Y5n7Jb7o0 The past days have seen both sides try and declare and assert control over the vital waterway and their own blockade based on rival 'conditions' for ship passage. But all of this has meant a continued effective closure.

  What Else We Know

  US Central Command (CENTCOM) has cited that the US Navy has already turned back at least 23 ships after they were at Iranian ports. In the meantime Trump is still claiming Iran agreed to hand over its enriched uranium - or nuclear 'dust' - but Tehran has made clear it will never do so , dismissing this as a made-up fantasy. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reports that a tanker was " approached by 2 IRGC gunboats, with no VHF challenge, and then fired upon ." UKMTO did not provide any further details about the two Iranian vessels that fired on the tanker or the type of weapons used in the maritime incident, which was reported to have occurred 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman. Assume that President Trump is about to become absolutely furious on Truth Social. One can also assume that backchanneling and behind-the-scenes talks are not going well if an incident like this occurred ahead of the U.S.-Iran weekend negotiations. The Trump administration’s " baffle 'em with bullshit" methodology has been on full display, as the reopening of the Hormuz chokepoint on Friday drove a broad risk-on in markets: US equities soared, crude collapsed, and Treasury yields declined, based on the assumption that disruption to global energy flows had eased.

  Primary Sources

  • Source: ZeroHedge
  • Category: Surveillance State
  • Cross-reference independently — don't take our word for it.
  What are they not saying? Who benefits from this story staying buried? Follow the regulatory filings, the court dockets, and the FOIA releases. The truth is in the paperwork — it always is.

  Disclosure: NewsAnarchist aggregates from public records, API feeds (Federal Register, CourtListener, MuckRock, Hacker News), and independent media. AI-assisted synthesis. Always verify primary sources linked above.