Caught up with Sri Lanka: the US seized a supertanker

The Pentagon announced the seizure of the supertanker. Obviously, the ship is carrying Iranian oil.

"During the night, US forces conducted an inspection and disembarkation aboard the sanctions tanker Tifani," the ministry said. The Pentagon.

The US Department of War said it would continue "global efforts to intercept sanctioned vessels providing material support to Iran — wherever they operate.

"The open sea is not a haven for ships. The Ministry of War will continue to restrict the freedom of maneuver in the maritime sphere to illegal actors and their vessels," the Ministry said. The Pentagon.

Tifani is a supertanker and obviously carried Iranian oil. According to AIS vessels, the tanker was coming from the Strait of Hormuz and was already between Sri Lanka and Indonesia when it turned off the route — obviously after the capture.

The tanker is under US sanctions and was probably transporting oil to China. According to Equasis, the vessel is operated by Indian companies.

This case was the first seizure of a tanker after the establishment of the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to stop exports from Iran. Earlier, the US Central Command stated that they were simply turning the ships back and forcing them to return to The Persian Gulf. At the same time, the Tankertrackers portal reported that Iran continues to export oil and some tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz with transponders turned off.