Iran weighs oil shutdown and other moves as US threatens toughest sanctions

After nearly half a year of war, the United States has announced plans to impose what it calls the toughest sanctions in history to force Iran to concede to its demands. In response, former Revolutionary Guards commander Mohsen Rezaei warned that Tehran might cease all oil exports, effectively blocking shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and the broader Persian Gulf. Iranian missile, drone and speedboat assaults have already curtailed most traffic in the strait, and Iran recently added 45 tankers to a blacklist for violating its proposed shipping rules.

Allied Houthi forces have also disrupted Red Sea routes, targeting Saudi vessels and threatening the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint, prompting Chinese shippers to reroute. Additional attacks on upstream oil and gas sites or on power and desalination plants in Gulf monarchies could further spike crude prices and create political fallout for the United States. Western security services allege Iranian-linked hackers have hit a small U.S. power station and water facilities in Minnesota, and claim Tehran is recruiting operatives for attacks on Western soil, accusations Iran has not confirmed.