{"id":62950,"date":"2026-06-10T13:08:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T17:08:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/u-s-escalates-iran-blockade-as-trump-reveals-secret-oil-operations\/62950\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T13:08:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T17:08:16","slug":"u-s-escalates-iran-blockade-as-trump-reveals-secret-oil-operations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/u-s-escalates-iran-blockade-as-trump-reveals-secret-oil-operations\/62950\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Escalates Iran Blockade as Trump Reveals Secret Oil Operations"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)<\/strong> disabled the Palau-flagged tanker <strong>M\/T Settebello<\/strong> in the Gulf of Oman, the eighth vessel disabled since the blockade began on <strong>April 13<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>President <strong>Donald Trump<\/strong> revealed the U.S. has been covertly removing &quot;millions of barrels&quot; of oil from the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong> nightly to prevent <strong>WTI crude<\/strong> from exceeding <strong>$100 per barrel<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Iran\u2019s President condemned threats against critical infrastructure as a &quot;sign of desperation,&quot; while senior lawmakers warned of missile strikes on regional energy facilities if the U.S. attacks.<\/li>\n<li>Google (<a href=\"\/stock\/GOOGL\">GOOGL<\/a>) expanded its <strong>Gemini AI<\/strong> integration in the Chrome browser to users across <strong>Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Naval Blockade Intensifies in Gulf of Oman<\/h2>\n<p><strong>U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)<\/strong> forces disabled the Palau-flagged oil tanker <strong>M\/T Settebello<\/strong> late Tuesday after it allegedly attempted to violate the ongoing maritime blockade of Iran. A U.S. aircraft fired precision munitions into the ship\u2019s engine room following the crew&#39;s repeated failure to comply with directions. This marks the second consecutive day of kinetic enforcement, following the disabling of the <strong>M\/T Marivex<\/strong> on June 9.<\/p>\n<p>Since the blockade was initiated on <strong>April 13, 2026<\/strong>, U.S. forces have disabled <strong>eight non-compliant vessels<\/strong> and redirected <strong>134 ships<\/strong> that adhered to orders. The military has allowed <strong>42 vessels<\/strong> carrying humanitarian aid to pass through the zone. Tensions remain high as India&#39;s Ministry of External Affairs confirmed <strong>three Indian crew members<\/strong> are missing following the strike on the Settebello.<\/p>\n<h2>Trump Discloses Secret Oil Operations<\/h2>\n<p>In a surprise announcement at the White House, President <strong>Donald Trump<\/strong> stated that the U.S. has been removing <strong>millions of barrels of oil<\/strong> from the Strait of Hormuz every night. Trump credited these clandestine operations for keeping <strong>WTI <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/energy\/crude-oil\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"12\" title=\"Crude oil\">oil prices<\/a><\/strong> between <strong>$85 and $90 a barrel<\/strong>, asserting that prices would otherwise have spiked to <strong>$250<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The President warned that the U.S. would attack Iran &quot;very hard&quot; if a peace deal is not finalized, specifically citing the recent downing of a U.S. <strong>Apache helicopter<\/strong>. Despite the escalatory rhetoric, Trump noted that a deal is &quot;fully negotiated&quot; and expressed hope for a resolution that would bring prices down &quot;like a rock&quot; once the conflict concludes.<\/p>\n<h2>Iran Defiant Amid Infrastructure Threats<\/h2>\n<p>Iranian President <strong>Masoud Pezeshkian<\/strong> responded to U.S. threats by labeling the targeting of critical infrastructure\u2014including transportation, electricity, and water\u2014as a sign of &quot;desperation.&quot; He emphasized that Iran would rely on national unity and specialist knowledge to withstand external pressure.<\/p>\n<p>Simultaneously, senior Iranian lawmaker <strong>Hamidreza Haji Babaei<\/strong> warned that any U.S. military strike would trigger a &quot;barrage of Iranian missiles&quot; against energy facilities throughout the region. Analysts suggest that the Iranian regime is attempting to use calibrated force to extract concessions without triggering a full-scale war.<\/p>\n<h2>Google Expands Gemini AI Globally<\/h2>\n<p>Amid the regional volatility, Google (<a href=\"\/stock\/GOOGL\">GOOGL<\/a>) announced the further rollout of <strong>Gemini in Chrome<\/strong> to users in <strong>Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East<\/strong>. The AI assistant, integrated directly into the browser side panel, allows users to summarize content, compare information across tabs, and interact with Google Workspace apps like <strong>Gmail<\/strong> and <strong>Calendar<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The expansion follows previous launches in North America and the Asia-Pacific region. The feature includes the <strong>Nano Banana 2<\/strong> image generator and &quot;Personal Intelligence&quot; capabilities, though it remains unavailable in Europe due to <strong>GDPR<\/strong> regulatory hurdles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) disabled the Palau-flagged tanker M\/T Settebello in the Gulf of Oman, the eighth vessel 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