U.S. forces seized another oil tanker Majestic X in the Indian Ocean overnight, according to Department of War.
The Pentagon said U.S. forces carried out a maritime interdiction and boarded the vessel in the Indo-Pacific area of responsibility. It said the tanker was transporting oil from Iran and described it as a sanctioned stateless vessel. The department also released video showing personnel on the ship’s deck.
“We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate,” the statement said.
The seizure followed another day of confrontation around the Strait of Hormuz. Associated Press report said that Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guards had taken control of two vessels there the previous day.
AP report said that ship-tracking data placed the Majestic X between Sri Lanka and Indonesia and said the vessel had been bound for Zhoushan, China.
The tanker is Guyana-flagged and was previously known as Phonix, according to AP. The report said the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned it in 2024 for smuggling Iranian crude oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.
There was no immediate response from Iran to the Majestic X seizure.
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