US military boards Iranian-flagged oil tanker suspected of trying to
breach blockade
[May 21, 2026]
By BEN FINLEY
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said Wednesday that it boarded an
Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that was suspected of
trying to violate the American blockade, the latest action by the Trump
administration to try to push Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
But President Donald Trump is facing his own pressure at home for
shipping to resume through the vital corridor off Iran's coast. Fellow
Republicans in Congress are battling political headwinds ahead of
November's midterm elections as gasoline prices skyrocket and global
energy markets churn.
Meanwhile, the Senate on Tuesday advanced legislation seeking to force
Trump to withdraw from the Iran war, with a growing number of
Republicans defying the president in the 50-47 vote.
U.S. Central Command said on social media that the M/T Celestial Sea was
searched and redirected after being suspected of trying to head to an
Iranian port. It’s at least the fifth commercial vessel to be boarded
since the Trump administration imposed the blockade on Iranian shipping
in mid-April, several days into a ceasefire, to pressure Tehran into
opening the strait and accepting a deal to end the war.
The military boarded the tanker after Trump said Monday he had called
off renewed military strikes on Iran in an effort to make progress in
negotiations to end the war. Trump said he had planned “a very major
attack” for Tuesday but put it off, saying America’s allies in the Gulf
asked him to wait for two to three days because they feel they are close
to a deal.
Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.
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Before the U.S. blockade, Tehran had allowed some ships perceived as
friendly to pass while charging considerable fees, leading to
accusations it is holding the global economy hostage.
The U.S. military recently said that 1,550 vessels, from 87
countries, are currently stranded in the Persian Gulf.
Nearly three months since the war began with U.S. and Israeli
airstrikes on Feb. 28, Iran maintains a chokehold on the strait,
while the U.S. military has enforced its blockade on Iran's ports as
well as Iranian-linked ships that are far away from the Middle East.
Last month, U.S. forces boarded an oil tanker previously sanctioned
for smuggling Iranian crude oil in the Bay of Bengal in the Indian
Ocean. A couple days later, the U.S. seized another tanker
associated with smuggling Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean between
Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
In early May, Trump said the U.S. military would begin to “guide”
stranded ships from the Iran-gripped strait. The next day, he
announced that the effort to protect ships was paused to see if an
agreement could be reached.
Days later, U.S. forces fired on and disabled two Iranian oil
tankers after exchanging fire with Iranian forces in the Strait of
Hormuz. The U.S. military said the tankers were trying to breach the
blockade. The day before, the military said it thwarted Iranian
attacks on three Navy ships and struck Iranian military facilities
in response.
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