From Fox News:
As of Monday, the Iranian regime declared the crucial Strait of Hormuz — between Hormuz Island, Iran, and the Omani enclave of Khasab — closed, under threat of vessels being “torched.”
Oil tanker traffic immediately fell sharply as merchant seamen now fear missile strikes, but the conflict has also affected the so-called “shadow fleet” of unflagged or surreptitiously flagged oil tankers connected to economically isolated countries like Cuba, Iran and Russia.
The U.S. has established a quasi naval quarantine of oil imports to Cuba. It also warned Mexico against sending oil to malign regimes.
European partners, such as Belgium, have also been tightening the vise on Chinese and Russian “shadow fleet” vessels. Belgium’s army interdicted the shadow-fleet tanker MT Ethera in the North Sea, redirecting it to Zeebrugge for seizure. The MT Ethera is linked to the son of a senior political adviser, Ali Shamkhani, whose family controls tankers used for Iranian and Russian oil trade.
“Operation Blue Intruder was carried out by a team of exceptionally brave service members. Excellent work,” Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said.
Read more at Fox News
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