US forces board Iranian oil tanker in Indian Ocean

US Navy boarded an oil tanker previously sanctioned for smuggling Iranian crude oil in Asia, the US Department of War said on Tuesday.

Ship-tracking data showed that the ‘MT Tifani’ tanker was carrying oil in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday between Sri Lanka and Indonesia. The Pentagon said US forces “conducted a right-of-visit maritime interdiction” and boarded the M/T Tifani “without incident”.

It is the latest move made by the US 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 an already tenuous ceasefire between the US and Iran, and as Pakistan attempts to broker talks between Washington and Tehran.

The Pentagon described the Tifani as “stateless” despite it being a Botswana-flagged vessel. The US Department of War said the incident was in the area of responsibility of the US ‘Indo-Pacific Command’ – and not to the central command that was tasked to war responsibility in West Asia. The Pentagon said, “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.”