U.S. Reimposes Oil Sanctions on Iran Following Attacks

The United States has reinstated oil sanctions against Iran after a series of unprovoked attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz that occurred late Monday into early Tuesday.

Reports from Reuters indicate that the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has “revoked” a prior authorization issued on June 21 that had allowed for the temporary lifting of these sanctions, which was set to take effect on July 7, 2026. A U.S. government official described the attacks in the Strait as “totally unacceptable” and confirmed the revocation of the license permitting the sale of Iranian oil.

The Daily Caller reached out to the White House for comment regarding this update from Reuters.

A spokesperson elaborated that OFAC is indeed canceling GL X, which had granted permission for selling Iranian oil.

“The existing memorandum of understanding with Iran is entirely performance-based,” the official remarked. “Iran can only gain from this if it demonstrates good behavior. Its actions in the Strait are unacceptable to us and will have consequences. Our negotiators are actively pursuing a final agreement in good faith,” the official added.

Back in late June, President Trump had announced the temporary lifting of oil sanctions against Iran after the country hinted it would ensure the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and allow nuclear inspectors access. However, reports from the UK Maritime Trade Operations Center suggested that three separate incidents prompted the decision to reinstate sanctions.

The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement expressing “strong condemnation” of the attack on the Qatari tanker Al Reqayat while it was in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz. They noted that the attack severely undermines international navigation safety, poses a direct threat to global energy supplies, and clearly violates international law.