US interdicts stateless sanctioned tanker sailing from Iran to China

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US forces interdict Iran oil tanker amid meeting uncertainty

National security correspondent Jennifer Griffin and former Army intelligence analyst Bret tVelicovich discuss the U.S.military’s operations in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s fractured leadership and China’s involvement in illicit oil trade.

U.S.forces conducted a boarding and interdiction operation overnight on a stateless sanctioned crude oil tanker in the U.S.Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) area of responsibility, the Department of War announced Tuesday.

The operation saw U.S.forces board the M/T Tifani, a stateless crude oil tankerpreviously sanctionedby theU.S.State Departmentfor facilitating the transfer of Iranian oil between ships.

Themilitaryboarded the ship in INDOPACAM’s area, which encompasses the entire Pacific Ocean and parts of the Indian Ocean, “without incident,” according to the Pentagon’s post on X.Open source maritime trackers showed the ship halting progress in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka.

“As we have made clear, we will pursueglobal maritime enforcement effortsto disrupt illicit networks and interdict sanctioned vessels providing material support to Iran — anywhere they operate,” the post read.

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A white U.S. military helicopter hovers over the bright orange sanctioned stateless crude oil tanker M/T Tifani during an U.S. interdiction.

A U.S.military helicopter hovers over the sanctioned stateless crude oil tanker M/T Tifani during an interdiction on April 21, 2026.(Department of War)

“International waters are not a refuge for sanctioned vessels.The Department of War will continue to denyillicit actors and their vesselsfreedom of maneuver in the maritime domain,” the post concluded.

Open source maritime trackers showed the Tifani departing from Dongjiakou,China,in late March.According to commodities trackerArgus News, the vessel loaded up at the terminal on Iran’s Kharg Island, the country’s premier oil export terminal.

Satellite view of Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran

Satellite view of Kharg Island, located in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran.(Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2024)

The vessel — which has historically sailed under the flags of Botswana, Cameroon, Tanzania, Palau, and Panama — has loaded Iranian oil in ship-to-ship transfers with U.S.-sanctioned Iranian tankers at least twice in the past, according to the State Department.

The vessel was heading to Riau Archipelago near Singapore before it was eventually expected to reach mainland China.

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M/T Tifani has also conducted “dark activity” near Singapore,according toUkrainian military intelligence.The craft routinely turns off its Automatic Identification System (AIS), a move commonly referred to as “going dark.” International Maritime Organization (IMO) mandates that all ships carrying over 300 gross tonnes on international voyages operate AIS at all times.

The interdiction was the second such naval confrontation the military made on Iranian-linked ships in as many days.U.S.forcesboarded and seizedthe Touska, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship which the U.S.accused of attempting to bypass an ongoing maritime blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

After issuing warnings to the vessel, the guided-missile destroyer, USS Spruance instructed the Touska crew to vacate the engine room and fired missiles from the ship’s MK 45 Gun, disabling Touska’s propulsion systems, according to CENTCOM.

The Iranian-flagged Touska cargo ship pours smoke out of its engine room

The Iranian-flagged Touska cargo ship pours smoke out after U.S.forces launched missiles at it’s control room following its violation of the U.S.blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.4/20/26. (U.S.Central Command (CENTCOM))

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The Touska, like the Tifani, hadpreviously stopped in China, highlighting a potential supply route between China and Iran for sanctioned oil.

China criticized the U.S.seizure of the Touska, with a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson calling the Strait of Hormuz situation “sensitive and complex.”