US Revokes License that Authorized Sale of Iranian Oil

The new attacks on the fuel-shipping waterway were the largest in a single day since late April, according to the U.N. International Maritime Organization. Just at a time when countries were hoping to re-establish normal maritime practices and ease the global economic burden of war, new attacks threatened to halt the flow of traffic in the strait.

Hours later, the United States revoked a 60-day license granted by the Treasury Department last month that waived sanctions on Iranian oil.

A US official said the license was canceled because Iran’s actions in the strait were unacceptable and must be met with consequences. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to share insight into the reasoning behind the move.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The UK Merchant Marine Operations center said a tanker was hit and caught fire while traveling off the coast of Oman. Iranian state television reported that the liquefied natural gas tanker was attacked by ignoring warnings, but did not directly claim responsibility for the attack.

The UK maritime agency said two other ships also sustained some damage but no one was injured and both continued on their way.

Tehran, which has repeatedly declared that only the approved route through the strait is safe, is suspected of attacking other ships using another route close to the Omani coast.

Location details provided by the UK agency showed that all three attacks occurred off the coast of Oman or the neighboring United Arab Emirates; This suggests that the ships may have been using the route near Oman.

Talks between the US and Iran are on hold. The US is keen to resume talks with Iran to fully reopen the strait, roll back Tehran’s controversial nuclear program and permanently end the war that started on February 28. An interim agreement became strained.

Previous attacks in the Strait had triggered US retaliatory strikes by Iran and subsequent attacks on Gulf Arab states.

In peacetime, one-fifth of oil and gas trade passed through the canal.

The license issued by the USA allowed the production, delivery and sale of Iranian oil until August 21. US Vice President J.D. Vance said at the time that lengthy talks with senior Iranian officials in Switzerland laid “a good foundation for a successful final agreement” to end the war.

US sanctions against the purchase of Iranian oil have been in effect since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. After the USA and Israel started the war and closed the strait, the USA allowed the temporary sale of Iranian oil at least twice as an incentive for the agreement.

Meanwhile, talks between Iran and the United States appear to be on hold until after the funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the beginning of the war.

Qatar called the attack a violation of international law The UK’s Merchant Marine Operations center said a tanker was carrying liquid natural gas south through the strait near Limah, Oman, when a shell hit the left side of the engine room, causing a fire.

Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said the Qatari tanker Al Rekayyat was the target of an “unacceptable attack” on international navigation and global energy security. He called it a “serious and flagrant violation” of international law.

In a post on X, he said Qatar held Iran “fully legally responsible.”

Later on Tuesday, the UK maritime agency reported that an oil tanker was hit on the left side as it emerged from the strait near the Oman-Emirates border. A third tanker was hit by a drone off the coast of Oman, the agency said.

The Joint Maritime Information Center, a multinational organization overseen by the U.S. Navy, told shippers Monday that the route around Oman “has been expanded and remains open to all traffic.”

Ships heading north via the Iran route must register in Tehran. Those heading south work with Oman and the USA

Iran and the USA agreed to allow ships to pass without paying for 60 days within the scope of the interim agreement. But Tehran has insisted that ships must control their routes and then charge fees for passage, which would upend decades-old practices in the waterway.

The United States and many Gulf Arab countries say they will not accept Iran’s demand for a fee for passage through the strait.

Data company Kpler reported that at least 108 ships passed through the strait using various routes last weekend.

Mourners gather in Qom for Khamenei’s funeral Authorities took Khamenei’s body to the Shiite theological city of Qom, where mourners honored him on Tuesday.

Iranian state television broadcast live footage of hundreds of thousands of people marching towards the Jamkaran Mosque, just south of Qom, for the funeral. Shiites believe that the mosque once housed the 12th and last Shiite imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, who disappeared in the 9th century and was expected to reappear to bring justice to the world.

Khamenei’s son, Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has not yet attended the ceremonies that started in Tehran on Saturday. He is believed to have gone into hiding after reportedly being injured in the airstrike that killed his father.

Khamenei’s body arrived in Najaf, Iraq, late Tuesday, where it was received by senior officials from both countries. A march is planned on Wednesday in Najaf and Karbala, the two holy cities of Iraqi Shiism. Iraq has a sizeable Shiite population and has important Shiite religious sites and educational centers.

Khamenei, 86, will then be deported back to Iran and will be buried on Thursday at the Imam Reza shrine in his birthplace, Mashhad.