The United States seized an Iran-linked oil tanker in the Indian Ocean overnight, according to three U.S. officials, as President Trump has threatened to resume military strikes on Iran.
The ship has been identified as the Skywave. U.S. authorities had placed sanctions on the vessel in March for its role in transporting Iranian oil.
Ship-tracking information showed the Skywave sailing just west of Malaysia on Tuesday after it passed through the Malacca Strait. Brokers and data from Lloyds List Intelligence indicated the tanker was likely loaded with more than a million barrels of crude at Iran's Kharg Island in February.
This seizure is at least the third occasion in which U.S. forces have taken custody of an oil tanker tied to what officials describe as Iran-linked shadow-fleet operations. Those seizure actions are being conducted separately from a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports that is in place in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
Key factual elements:
- The Skywave was sanctioned by the U.S. in March for transporting Iranian oil.
- Ship-tracking data placed the vessel just west of Malaysia after transit of the Malacca Strait.
- Brokers and Lloyds List Intelligence estimate the ship was likely carrying in excess of one million barrels loaded at Kharg Island in February.
- This represents at least the third U.S. seizure of an oil tanker linked to Iran-related shadow-fleet activity.
- The seizures are distinct from an ongoing U.S. blockade of Iranian ports in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
The factual record in this account is limited to the details reported by U.S. officials and maritime intelligence cited above. The timing of the seizure, the vessel's sanctioned status, its likely cargo and prior transit route are the core reported facts. Parallel U.S. naval and enforcement measures directed at Iranian maritime activity are noted as separate operations in nearby waters.