1 jam yang lalu
April 23, 2026 | 10:51 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The US military has reportedly intercepted at least three Iranian oil tankers in Asian waters. The ships then diverted from positions near India, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka, according to shipping and security sources on Wednesday as reported by Al Arabiya.
The United States has redirected at least three Iranian-flagged oil tankers in the past few days, according to two US and Indian shipping sources as well as two Western maritime security sources on Wednesday.
The US military did not immediately respond to requests for comments on the interception.
One of the ships is the Iranian-flagged supertanker Deep Sea, with some of its cargo filled with crude oil. The ship was last seen on its public tracking transponder off the coast of Malaysia a week ago, according to sources and ship tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform.
The smaller Sevin tanker, which has a maximum capacity of 1 million barrels and was carrying 65 percent of its cargo, was also intercepted. The Iranian-flagged ship was last seen off the coast of Malaysia a month ago, according to ship tracking data.
The Iranian-flagged supertanker Dorena, carrying a full load of 2 million barrels of crude oil, was also intercepted. The ship was last seen off the southern coast of India three days ago, according to sources and ship tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform.
The US Central Command said on Wednesday in a post on X that the Dorena was escorted by a US Navy destroyer in the Indian Ocean after attempting to breach the blockade.
The US forces may have intercepted the Iranian-flagged tanker Derya, shipping sources said. The ship failed to offload its Iranian oil cargo in India before the US exemption for purchasing Iranian crude oil expired on Sunday. The ship was last seen off the west coast of India on Friday, according to MarineTraffic data.
Hormuz Strait Blockade
Washington has enforced a blockade on Iranian maritime trade, while Iran has fired on ships to prevent them from sailing through the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Persian Gulf.
Almost two months after the US and Israel initiated their war on Iran, there is little sign that peace negotiations will resume during the unstable ceasefire.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted one-fifth of the world's oil and gas supply and caused a global energy crisis.
The US forces have seized an Iranian cargo ship and an oil tanker in the past few days. Iran said it had seized two container ships attempting to leave the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after firing on them and another vessel, their first seizures since the war began.
The US Central Command said on Wednesday that since the blockade of ships entering or leaving Iranian ports began, US forces have instructed 29 ships to turn around or return to port.
The US military has not listed all the ships that have been intercepted and did not immediately respond to requests for comments on Deyra and Deep Sea.
Third maritime security sources said the US military is attempting to target Iranian ships outside the Strait of Hormuz and in open waters to avoid the risk of floating mines during operations.
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