U.S., Iran Seize One Another’s Tankers

The Iranian Navy commandeered an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on April 27. The tanker, the Advantage Sweet, is Chinese-owned, Turkish-operated and Marshall Islands-registered. But it was hired by Chevron to bring oil from Kuwait to Houston, Texas.

Iran claims the tanker collided with an Iranian ship and then tried to flee. However, the United States believes the seizure was in response to a U.S. seizure of an Iranian tanker as part of a sanctions enforcement operation.

Iran has engaged in this type of behavior for years. As an isolated pariah state on the oil-rich Persian Gulf, Iran uses ship seizures as an easy way to jab at its oil-dependent geopolitical opponents. The tit-for-tat actions between the U.S. and Iran are nothing new, but they highlight the fact that many different nations depend on the Persian Gulf for their energy needs. And it also shows how a rogue regime like Iran could easily disrupt world oil trade.

What the Bible says: The Trumpet identifies Iran as the end-time “king of the south” prophesied in Daniel 11:40 through Daniel 12:1 to start World War iii. This king of the south has a “pushy,” provocative foreign policy. Cutting off the West from the world’s oil trade would be a massive way Iran could “push” at its neighbors.

Learn more: Request a free copy of Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry’s booklet The King of the South.