US Revives Ancient Maritime Prize Courts to Claim Iranian Oil Tankers

The US Department of Justice is reviving a long-dormant maritime prize court system to streamline the seizure of Iranian oil tankers captured by US military forces. The initiative aims to establish a faster legal process for claiming oil and cargo taken from enemy or neutral vessels as US property.

Under the proposal, seized goods would be sold and the proceeds transferred to the US Treasury to offset the costs of the conflict. Aaron Reitz, the US attorney for the Southern District of Texas, confirmed in an email that the department is 'now reviving' prize courts, which he characterized as an 'ancient body of maritime law.'

Prize courts were a regular feature of naval combat in the 18th and 19th centuries but have been largely unused since the Spanish-American War of 1898. The US has relied on civil forfeiture law to seize vessels and assets related to sanctions violations, but this process has proven complex.