A Chinese-owned oil tanker headed to Houston, Texas was captured in the Gulf of Oman on April 27 by masked Iranian navy commandos. Iranian state media claimed they seized the Turkish-managed tanker because it had run into another Iranian vessel, but there was no evidence to support that claim. The commandos descended by ropes from an overhead helicopter, landing on the deck of the tanker chartered by oil giant Chevron.

This isn’t the first time an oil tanker has been targeted in the region. The U.S. blamed a November 2022 attack on a tanker off the coast of Oman on an Iranian-made drone.

Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan explains why China may have the most to lose if the world’s shipping industry becomes more vulnerable.

Excerpted from Peter’s April 28 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter:

The Iranians have seized the Advantage Sweet, a Turkish-owned [sic] oil tanker carrying roughly 800,000 barrels of crude. The press release (or should I say ‘slap on the wrist’) issued by the U.S. Navy should have the Chinese very concerned about their supply lines.

Since World War II, the U.S. has patrolled the sea lanes and enabled the safe flow of international resources and products. However, this incident is just another indication that the U.S. is slowly stepping away from its commitment to the maritime order of protecting the high seas.

While the U.S. can just shut down its international energy trade and operate with its neighbors in North America, places like China have much more at stake. Since China falls at the end of a very long supply chain, any disruptions could spell disaster for the Chinese economy; that’s only one of many issues they face.