US forces interdict a vessel carrying oil from Iran in the Indian Ocean on April 23, 2026. Photo: DeptofWar/X
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US forces on Thursday interdicted a “sanctioned stateless vessel” carrying oil from Iran in the Indian Ocean, the Department of War said, adding that it will continue to intercept ships accused of supporting Tehran. The move comes as Washington’s naval blockade on Iran entered its 11th day on Thursday.
In a statement on X, the Department of War said, “Overnight, U.S. forces carried out a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel [motor tanker] M/T Majestic X, transporting oil from Iran in the Indian Ocean within the [United States Indo-Pacific Command] INDOPACOM area of responsibility.”
The department added that it “will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate” and to “deny illicit actors and their vessels freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain.”
“International waters cannot be used as a shield by sanctioned actors,” the statement concluded.
Washington on April 13 initiated a maritime blockade on Iranian ports aimed at pressuring Iran’s economy.
"Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” US President Donald Trump said at the time, initiating the operation.
“I have also instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran. No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas,” he added.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Thursday reported that American forces had thus far “directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to port” as part of Washington’s naval blockade against Iran.
The Command said the US military is leveraging its “global reach” to enforce the strict blockade, ensuring that “no ships [are] allowed in or out” of Iranian ports. It added that the operation, which spans “enforcement across the Middle East and beyond.”
CENTCOM also said the US has deployed more than 10,000 troops to support the mission, along with over 17 warships and more than 100 aircraft.
The US and Israel launched a preemptive air campaign against Iran on February 28, targeting more than 17,000 sites across the country over six weeks of hostilities before the warring sides agreed to a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire on April 8, which halted fighting for two weeks and paved the way for talks.
While the first round of discussions ended without a final agreement on April 11, Islamabad has in recent days stepped up efforts to host a second round of talks, however, those efforts have yet to yield any tangible results.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Wednesday described the American maritime blockade as a “flagrant breach of the ceasefire.”
A day earlier, Ghalibaf had accused US President Trump of attempting, through the naval blockade, to “turn the negotiating table” with Iran into “a table of surrender.”
“We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the past two weeks we have prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield,” the senior Iranian official said.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment