The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy forced a US oil tanker to halt and turn back in the Strait of Hormuz after firing toward the vessel. The incident marks another sharp escalation in the narrow waterway that handles roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply.
A pattern of aggressive intervention
This isn’t an isolated incident. The IRGC Navy has conducted multiple interventions in the Strait of Hormuz throughout May 2026, including drone strikes targeting oil tankers that ignored warnings.
One vessel, the tanker “Prima,” was struck by IRGC drones after reportedly failing to comply with directives. At least five US military boardings of Iranian-flagged tankers were reported in late May 2026, part of broader blockade enforcement measures. One of those operations involved the boarding of an Iranian-flagged vessel called the “M/T Celestial Sea,” suspected of attempting to breach the blockade.
Oil prices and the toll demand
