US forces intercept sanctioned vessel in Indian

U.S. forces carried out a maritime operation in the Indian Ocean on Friday, boarding the sanctioned tanker MT Davina in a single day.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command announced the transfer on X, releasing a assertion and a sequence of photos of the operation, including the sanctioned goal and a service member pointing a weapon at the vessel.

“Overnight, U.S. forces carried out a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel MT DAVINA located in the Indian Ocean within the INDOPACOM area of responsibility,” the assertion read.

“We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate,” it continued. The Indo-Pacific Command also argued that worldwide waters shouldn’t be used as a “shield” by sanctioned actors, including that the “Department of War will continue to deny illicit actors and their vessels freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain.”

Washington imposed sanctions on the vessel in 2024 for its function in delivering Iranian oil to China. The tanker’s proprietor, Davina Shipping Inc., was also sanctioned by the U.S. in October 2024. In 2025, the Davina sailed under the identify LENORE and flew the flag of Curaçao.

The operation comes as the U.S. launched a blockade in April in response to Iran successfully closing the Strait of Hormuz after the struggle in the Middle East started with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Feb. 29. A fragile ceasefire has held since April 7. Now the area awaits phrase on whether or not a deal may be reached to lengthen it by 60 days while talks could be held on Iran’s disputed nuclear program.

Last week, the U.S. army stopped a service provider vessel making an attempt to break through its blockade of Iranian ports by firing a missile into its engine room.

The Gambia-flagged cargo ship Lian Star ignored more than 20 warnings from U.S. forces in a single day as it tried to enter an Iranian port, the army said. The ship remained adrift in the Gulf of Oman and U.S. forces haven’t boarded it, said a U.S. official with information of the state of affairs, talking on condition of anonymity to focus on army operations.

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With the latest motion, U.S. army has stopped six ships making an attempt to breach the blockade. One was allowed to proceed. Another 116 ships have been redirected, the army said.

Events in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway between Iran and Oman, have shaken the global financial system. Shipments of vital quantities of oil, natural gasoline and associated provides like fertilizer are largely stranded, growing the pressure on customers and food producers.

The U.S. blockade seeks to restrict Iran’s own shipments and additional weaken its access to money, creating more pain for its long-weakened financial system.

U.S. President Donald Trump met with advisers last week but has yet to determine on whether or not to transfer forward with a deal to lengthen the ceasefire and reopen the strait. Iran has said the deal had not been finalized.

Commercial site visitors has quietly continued to movement through the strait, despite Iran’s assertions that it must approve any transits, though at a a lot decrease quantity than before the struggle.

“Any violation of these regulations will place the security of their passage at serious risk,” Iran’s joint army command said Saturday in a assertion carried by state TV, warning that any army vessels making an attempt to intrude with that could be focused.

Iran has even charged tolls for transit as high as $2 million, which consultants have called a violation of a precept of worldwide maritime commerce: freedom of peaceable navigation.