Two Iran-linked ships boarded in two days. The second was the Tifani, a stateless crude oil tanker, which U.S. forces boarded overnight in the Indian Ocean, the Department of War announced on Tuesday, April 21, 2026.
The Pentagon said on X that the boarding went “without incident.” Open source maritime trackers showed the ship stopping near Sri Lanka. The State Department had already sanctioned the Tifani for arranging ship-to-ship transfers of Iranian oil.
“International waters are not a refuge for sanctioned vessels,” the Pentagon post said. “The Department of War will continue to deny illicit actors and their vessels freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain.” An earlier line in the same post promised enforcement “anywhere they operate” against sanctioned vessels supporting Iran.
Where the ship had been
Trackers saw the Tifani leave Dongjiakou, China, in late March. Argus News reported that it then loaded at Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal. It was bound for the Riau Archipelago near Singapore, and from there was expected to reach mainland China.
Flags tell their own story. Over the years the Tifani has sailed under those of Botswana, Cameroon, Tanzania, Palau and Panama. The State Department says it has taken on Iranian oil in ship-to-ship transfers with sanctioned Iranian tankers at least twice.
Ukrainian military intelligence reported “dark activity” by the vessel near Singapore. It routinely switches off its Automatic Identification System, known as going dark. The International Maritime Organization requires every ship over 300 gross tonnes on an international voyage to keep AIS running at all times.
The Touska the day before
The day before, U.S. forces boarded and seized the Touska, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that the U.S. accused of trying to slip past the maritime blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM said the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance first warned the vessel and told its crew to leave the engine room, then fired its MK 45 gun to disable the propulsion.
Like the Tifani, the Touska had earlier stopped in China, which points to a possible supply route between China and Iran for sanctioned oil. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson criticized the Touska seizure and called the Strait of Hormuz situation “sensitive and complex.”
Fox News Digital contacted INDOPACOM and the Pentagon for comment and had not received a reply.
