The Trump administration is considering a plan to stop and inspect Iranian oil tankers at sea under an international initiative aimed at preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

Axar.az, citing Reuters, reports that this move aligns with Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign to isolate Iran economically and curb its nuclear ambitions.

Recent sanctions have targeted Iran’s shadow fleet of uninsured tankers transporting crude. Officials are exploring ways to delay shipments through key chokepoints, which could disrupt Iran’s revenue streams.

However, past U.S. attempts to seize Iranian oil have led to retaliatory actions, including ship seizures by Iran.

Analysts suggest that the low oil price environment gives Trump more flexibility to enforce sanctions, potentially cutting Iranian exports in the short term. Despite past sanctions, Iran's oil exports, primarily to China, generated over $50 billion in revenue in recent years. The U.S. is also pressuring Iraq to resume Kurdish oil exports to offset any disruption in Iranian supplies.