‘International waters are not a refuge for sanctioned vessels,’ the Pentagon said on social media.
U.S. military forces boarded an oil tanker that was previously sanctioned for smuggling Iranian crude oil in the Indian Ocean, the Pentagon said on April 21.
In a post on X, the Department of War wrote that the military conducted an overnight “right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding” of the sanctioned M/T Tifani tanker ship in the U.S. military’s Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean area of command.
“As we have made clear, we will pursue global maritime enforcement efforts to disrupt illicit networks and interdict sanctioned vessels providing material support to Iran—anywhere they operate,” the Pentagon said.
“International waters are not a refuge for sanctioned vessels. The Department of War will continue to deny illicit actors and their vessels freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain.”
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has listed the Tifani as a sanctioned vessel under a 2018 executive order that placed sanctions on Iranian-linked assets.
Ship-tracking data showed the Tifani was last located in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Malaysia. According to MarineTraffic.com, the vessel is roughly 1,082 feet in length and sailing under the flag of Botswana, while the Pentagon on Tuesday described it as stateless.
helicopters hovering above the Tifani as troops descended from ropes on the vessel.
It’s the latest move in the U.S. conflict with Iran to stop any ship tied to Tehran or those suspected of carrying supplies that could help its government, from weapons and oil to metals and electronics.
The announcement comes hours ahead of the expiration of a ceasefire between the United States and Iran, and as Pakistan attempts to broker talks between Washington and Tehran.
Last week, the U.S. military imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports, saying that no ships can travel to or from Iran as the Trump administration seeks to impose economic pressure on the country during the ceasefire.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last week that the U.S. blockade would extend beyond Iranian waters and the war theater under the control of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
