The US Department of Justice is coordinating with the Pentagon to plan the reopening of the dormant maritime bonus court after World War II to strengthen the blockade against Iran and offset the costs of the war. Aaron Reitz, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, confirmed that the mechanism is being restarted. If implemented, federal prosecutors can more quickly confiscate and sell oil tankers or oil seized during hostile actions as US property, and the proceeds will be remitted to the US Treasury Department. The US Department of Justice plans to concentrate the case in the Southern District of Texas in Houston. This bonus mechanism has been rarely used since 1898 and has been dormant since World War II. Currently, it faces legal challenges regarding whether current actions meet the conditions of the Prize Act and whether unauthorized seizures by Congress are legal.
