[U.S. Media Reveals: U.S. Department of Justice Preparing to Restart 'Prize Court' to Streamline Seizure Procedures of Iranian Oil Tankers]
Washington time, August 26, 2026, Bloomberg reported in a press release:
Citing informed sources, the U.S. Department of Justice is preparing to revive a long-dormant prize court to streamline the military's procedure for seizing Iranian oil tankers as U.S. prizes of war. The initiative aims to strengthen the blockade against Iran and compensate for losses incurred during the conflict.
The sources emphasized that the Southern District of Texas Federal District Court is considered the primary venue for implementing this initiative, due to the fact that the largest petrochemical complex in the United States, located in the Houston port area, has the capacity to store large quantities of seized oil.
Additional information:
A prize court is a specialized tribunal established under international maritime law to legalize the seizure of enemy vessels and cargo during wartime. These courts were widely used in the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars and the American Civil War, allowing nations to seize and sell prizes. The United States last utilized such a court during the Spanish-American War in 1898.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1874645284108291/
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