Trump Admin Revives Century-Old Prize Law to Claim Iranian Oil Tankers

The Trump administration is attempting to revive centuries-old prize law to claim Iranian oil tankers seized during the war. The plan involves utilizing specialized legal regime, which has not been used regularly since the Spanish-American War.

According to Aaron Reitz, the U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Texas, 'prize law is an ancient body of maritime law' that sets rules for how seized maritime property is condemned, returned, or disposed of.

The formal use of prize law would allow the administration to end-run civil asset forfeiture laws, which can often be bogged down in court, in favor of a streamlined process to force the handover of captured Iran-linked ships to the U.S.

However, international and maritime law experts say the administration's potential application of the centuries-old laws could backfire in the short term and the long term.