--- title: "Iran's Guards Use Tankers Against US Pressure" description: "Iran's IRGC is turning oil tankers into leverage in the Strait of Hormuz, threatening US interests and raising maritime security stakes amid mounting pressure." url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/story/irans-guards-use-tankers-to-challenge-us-pressure" --- # Iran's Guards Use Tankers Against US Pressure Tehran raises stakes in maritime tensions with the U.S. Model DiplomatMay 10, 20262 min readMiddle East [MalaymailIranian Revolutionary Guards warn of strikes on US sites after tanker attacks in Gulf | Malay Mail](https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2026/05/10/iranian-revolutionary-guards-warn-of-strikes-on-us-sites-after-tanker-attacks-in-gulf/219387)[News18'Any Attack On Iran...': IRGC Threatens To Strike 'Enemy Ships' If US Targets Its Tankers Again | World News - News18](https://www.news18.com/world/any-attack-on-iran-irgc-threatens-to-strike-enemy-ships-if-us-targets-its-tankers-again-ws-l-10083295.html)[NSTIran's Guards threaten US sites as Trump waits for Teheran response | New Straits Times](https://www.nst.com.my/amp/world/world/2026/05/1435998/irans-guards-threaten-us-sites-trump-waits-teheran-response) ## Iran’s Guards Turn Tankers Into a U.S. Pressure Point *Tehran is using maritime threats to raise the cost of U.S. pressure and force Washington back toward a deal on Iranian terms.* The **IRGC** said any attack on Iranian tankers or commercial vessels would trigger strikes on “one of the American centres in the region” and enemy ships, after a US fighter jet disabled two Iranian-flagged tankers in the Gulf of Oman, according to [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/10/iran-threatens-us-sites-in-middle-east-if-tankers-come-under-fire "theguardian.com") and [Malay Mail](https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2026/05/10/iranian-revolutionary-guards-warn-of-strikes-on-us-sites-after-tanker-attacks-in-gulf/219387 "malaymail.com"). That is not a routine threat; it is a bid to widen the fight from ships to US bases and Gulf infrastructure. Washington was meanwhile waiting for Tehran’s answer to its latest negotiating position, with Trump saying he expected a reply “supposedly tonight” and the proposal being relayed through Pakistani mediators, [New Straits Times](https://www.nst.com.my/amp/world/world/2026/05/1435998/irans-guards-threaten-us-sites-trump-waits-teheran-response "nst.com.my") reported. ## The Strait is the leverage For [Global Politics](https://modeldiplomat.com/discover/general "modeldiplomat.com"), this is coercive diplomacy by sea: Iran is turning the Strait of Hormuz into the place where it can extract concessions without firing on the US mainland. [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/8/iran-says-it-has-seized-oil-tanker-over-attempts-to-disrupt-its-oil-exports "aljazeera.com") reported that Tehran has already tightened the rules for passage through a new “Persian Gulf Strait Authority,” while [Reuters](http://in.mobile.reuters.com/business/energy/three-tankers-damaged-gulf-us-iran-conflict-escalates-2026-03-01/ "in.mobile.reuters.com") documented in March that at least three tankers were damaged in the Gulf as the conflict escalated, one seafarer was killed, and war-risk insurance costs were expected to jump 25% to 50%. The message is simple: even limited force in the water can hit oil flows, premiums and confidence long before a broader battle breaks out. ## Who gains from escalation The immediate beneficiary is the IRGC, which gains relevance by making maritime control part of Iran’s bargaining power, and the hardline camp that can argue pressure, not diplomacy, delivers results. The losers are the shipping companies, insurers and Gulf states sitting under the US security umbrella, because every tanker incident expands the perimeter of risk. [New Straits Times](https://www.nst.com.my/amp/world/world/2026/05/1435998/irans-guards-threaten-us-sites-trump-waits-teheran-response "nst.com.my") noted that Iran has already attacked sites in Qatar during the war, underlining that Tehran is prepared to convert a shipping dispute into a wider warning to US partners. For Washington, the bind is obvious: the more it enforces a blockade on Iranian shipping, the easier it becomes for Tehran to justify threats against American assets, as [Malay Mail](https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2026/05/10/iranian-revolutionary-guards-warn-of-strikes-on-us-sites-after-tanker-attacks-in-gulf/219387 "malaymail.com") and [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/10/iran-threatens-us-sites-in-middle-east-if-tankers-come-under-fire "theguardian.com") show. ## What to watch next Watch **Monday’s** shipping and insurance reset, when the market will price whether this is a one-off clash or the start of a new maritime campaign. Also watch Tehran’s formal response to the US proposal, and whether Gulf mediators can keep the truce track alive while the Strait remains a live battlefield. If Iran follows through on its threat, the first test will be whether Washington can protect tankers without broadening the conflict. 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