September 3rd, 2026: U.S. Launches “Tanker for Tanker” Strikes Against Iran
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What is the new “tanker for tanker” policy and how is the U.S. applying it against Iran?
It's Thursday, the third of September. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, the Trump administration puts a new punitive tanker for tanker policy in place in the Strait of Chormuz, telling the Iranian regime, every time you attack a vessel in the strait, the U.S. will target a regime oil tanker. and they've already put the new policy into action. I'll have the details. Later in the show, two suspected sabotage attempts strike Germany's electricity grid within twenty four hours, putting authorities on alert for a coordinated attack against critical infrastructure. Plus Ukraine puts international airlines on notice, warning that its expanding drone campaign is making Russian airspace unsafe.
And in today's back of the brief, American authorities penetrate Hamas's cryptocurrency network, seizing its money, fundraising websites, and information about thousands of donors. But first, today's PDB spotlight. Yesterday we told you that two super tankers carrying Saudi Arabian oil had been attacked while leaving the Strait of Hormuz. Well, that attack turned out to be deadlier and more consequential than initially reported. Saudi Arabia now says Iran was responsible, and two Filipino sailors aboard the Saudi owned tanker ASIDR were killed. The Sidr was carrying approximately two million barrels of crude oil. crude oil when it was struck by an unidentified projectile near the coast of Oman uh late on Monday.
Another super tanker carrying roughly the same amount of Saudi oil was hit only minutes later. Initial reports indicated that the crews aboard both vessels were safe. The Sitters operator, though, has now confirmed those two deaths, while the Saudi government has publicly assigned responsibility to Tehran. In response, during Tuesday's major operation against approximately one hundred targets inside Iran, American forces also attacked two Iranian government tankers. According to US officials who spoke with Axios, the tankers were anchored off of Iran's coast, north of the American naval blockade line. American drones reportedly fired missiles into their engine rooms. We do not yet have complete damage to the
damage assessments and there's been no confirmed information about casualties aboard either vessel. But the target selection is obviously significant. Previous American operations against Iranian tankers were intended to prevent vessels from violating the US blockade. These attacks were of course different. Officials say they marked the first use of a new policy approved by President Trump that they're calling quote tanker for tanker. The concept is relatively straightforward.
How did the U.S. strike Iranian oil tankers after the attacks on Saudi super‑tankers?
If Iran attacks a commercial tanker moving through the Strait of Hormuz, the US will retaliate by attacking one of Iran's own tanks. Yeah. Washington is no longer limiting its response to intercepting weapons, escorting commercial ships, blockading ports, or destroying the launchers and radar systems and maritime facilities that Iran uses to threaten the waterway. It's now placing Iran's own oil fleet in the crosshairs. And that matters because, of course, oil remains one of Teferon's most important sources of hard currency. Iran needs tankers to move that crewed. Well, there is a statement of the obvious, and replacing a disabled super tanker is considerably more difficult than replacing a missile launcher or an attack drone.
The policy also gives the US a response that is proportional, clearly understood, and focused on the same economic pressure point that Iran is targeting. American officials believe Tuesday's broader strikes also damaged enough of Iran's radar, missile, and drone infrastructure to reduce the threat to commercial shipping for at least a month. But Iran, the regime, is showing no indication that it intends to abandon its effort to control shipping through the waterway. Tehran has added another eleven vessels to its blacklist of ships, accused of violating Iranian navigation rules, bringing the total on its blacklist to fifty six.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the new “tanker for tanker” policy and how is the U.S. applying it against Iran?
0:12–3:00
2
How did the U.S. strike Iranian oil tankers after the attacks on Saudi super‑tankers?
3:00–6:23
3
What are the strategic implications of targeting Iran’s own oil fleet?
6:23–8:34
4
What evidence links the two suspected sabotage attacks on Germany’s power grid?
8:34–11:59
5
How might the coordinated German grid attacks affect European energy security?
11:59–14:52
6
Why is Ukraine warning airlines about the increasing danger of Russian airspace?
14:52–17:16
7
What steps is the International Civil Aviation Organization taking in response to Ukraine’s warning?
17:16–19:54
8
How did the FBI dismantle Hamas’s cryptocurrency fundraising network and what does it mean for future terror financing?
19:54–22:46
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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