Splash247: Iran draws shipping into widening confrontation with US

Iran has said that commercial shipping and maritime infrastructure could become legitimate targets if the United States launches a military attack against Tehran.

Speaking during a parliamentary session on Sunday, Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Israel, US military assets and “shipping centres” would be targeted in the event of American military action. Addressing US president Donald Trump directly, Ghalibaf said Iran would not limit itself to responding only after being struck, framing any action as “legitimate defence”.

“We do not limit ourselves to responding only after an action. In the event of a US military attack, both the occupied territories and US military and shipping centres will be legitimate targets for us,” he said.

The comments come amid growing domestic unrest in Iran, with protests that began in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar in late December spreading to other cities as the Iranian rial has sharply depreciated. Trump said at the weekend that Iranians were “looking at freedom”, adding that Washington was ready to offer support.

Iran has a history of targeting commercial ships, jamming their AIS systems, and occasionally taking vessels and crews hostage. 

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi rejected US claims that Tehran was delusional in accusing Israel and the US of fuelling unrest, warning that those who “enable arson” would ultimately face consequences themselves.

Commenting via LinkedIn, Lars Jensen, who heads up container shipping consultancy Vespucci Maritime, suggested regime change in Iran could remove the support to the Houthis in Yemen, paving a swifter path to normalisation using the Suez route. 

In addition, Jensen argued that regime change in Tehran could end the sanctions on the country, opening a path for many more containerlines to tap into the market of 90m people with direct services. 

With the US kicking off the year by removing Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, and the ongoing protests in Iran, the world’s shadow tanker fleet is facing potentially enormous changes.

“2026 seems to be a year of precedents which are coming as hard and fast as they are to digest. The implications are unclear, but we are uneasy as these new precedents become the new normal very, very quickly,” Greek broker Ursa Shipbrokers stated in a note to clients.