What does Iran hope to achieve by targeting oil tankers?

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Iran is using attacks on oil tankers as leverage around the Strait of Hormuz, not to state a specific aim publicly
Iran has targeted “non-compliant oil tankers” attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz after the war with the United States resumed, stating it attacked and stopped two such vessels. The Strait of Hormuz is a key transit point for global oil supplies, with a fifth of the world’s oil passing through it before the war, and Iran has attempted to blockade the strait as leverage since an US-Israeli attack kicked off the war in February. In the available information, Iran’s public framing links the tanker actions to leverage tied to the strait’s role in oil transit, without spelling out a more specific end goal.
Iran said it attacked and stopped tankers trying to transit Hormuz
Tehran said it attacked and stopped two “non-compliant oil tankers” attempting to move through the Hormuz strait on Tuesday. This came after Iran stepped up attacks in the Middle East following the resumption of its war with the United States. The statement connects the tanker targeting directly to attempted passage through the strait.
The leverage is tied to the Strait of Hormuz carrying a fifth of the world’s oil
The Strait of Hormuz is described as a crucial chokepoint for global oil flows, with a fifth of the world’s oil supplies transiting through it before the war. Iran’s broader attempt to blockade the strait is presented as an approach used “as leverage” since February. That linkage is the clearest stated purpose connected to targeting tankers in the information provided.
Iran has used blockade efforts as leverage since the February war trigger
Iran has attempted to blockade the Strait of Hormuz “as leverage” since the US-Israeli attack that kickstarted the war in February. The tanker incident is part of that same pattern, occurring after the war resumed with the United States. However, the details given do not include any explicit statement of what Iran hoped to achieve beyond leveraging the strait’s oil transit position.
Oil prices moved higher as Iran stepped up strikes in the Gulf
The report also notes that Brent crude rose in Asian trade, reaching its highest price in more than a month, trading up 1.2 per cent at US$92.09 per barrel around 0130 GMT. West Texas Intermediate rose 1.1 per cent to US$85.23. While this shows market reaction alongside Iran’s Gulf actions, the information still does not specify Iran’s ultimate objective for targeting tankers beyond its leverage framing.

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What does Iran hope to achieve by targeting oil tankers?

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