Posted on September 22, 2026
The U.S. military has been seizing Iranian shadow fleet vessels at the instruction of the Trump administration. But until now, they couldn’t do anything with that seized cargo. Fear not, the prize court system is here to save the day.
Prize courts have not really been used in over a century. So, setting them up takes some time to get the military, logistical, port, and legal infrastructure in line. Despite it being legally required for Congress to have declared war on Iran for prize law to apply, I wouldn’t expect anyone from Iran to show up to argue on behalf of the shadow fleet.
