IRGC challenges Trump’s plan to escort oil tankers in Hormuz

A spokesperson of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Force, Alimohammad Naini, has challenged US President Donald Trump's proposition to deploy naval vessels to escort oil tankers as they pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC spokesperson said that "Iran strongly welcomes” and is "awaiting their presence." It reminded US President Donald Trump of the American supertanker Bridgeton in 1987 before making the decision.

US President Donald Trump on Truth Social said that the US Navy would begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. As the war in West Asia expands, oil prices continue to rise. Brent Crude has gone as high as $93.32 per barrel as of March 7, 2026. Trump pledged that the US would ensure the free flow of energy to the world, asserting that the US military and economic might is the greatest on earth. He further ordered the US International Development Finance Corporation to provide "political risk insurance and guarantees" for tankers transiting in the region. Trump said that Oil and gas prices will plummet once the war is over.

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"Iran strongly welcomes the escort ​of oil tankers and the presence of US forces for the crossing of the ‌Strait ⁠of Hormuz. And we are, by the way, awaiting their presence," said Naini as reported by the state media. "We recommend that, before making any ​decision, the Americans ​remember ⁠the fire on the American supertanker Bridgeton in 1987 and the ​oil tankers that were recently ​targeted,"

The Iranian Army has claimed an attack on an oil tanker operating under the commercial name Prima on March 7. The IRGC said that the tanker failed to comply with multiple warnings issued by the IRGC Naval Forces about the ban on transit through the Strait of Hormuz. According to the Iranian state media, The Prima is a Malta-flagged oil and chemical tanker. At least nine vessels have been targeted since the beginning of the war between the US and Iran on February 28.