U.S. forces boarded the oil tanker M/T Tifani early this morning, a sanctioned and stateless vessel linked to Iran, in international waters of the Indian Ocean under the responsibility of the Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), as announced by the U.S. Department of War.
The operation, officially described as a visit inspection, maritime interdiction, and boarding, was conducted without incident approximately 700 kilometers southeast of Sri Lanka, one day after the first physical seizure of the naval blockade against Iran: the cargo ship M/V Touska, intercepted on Monday in the Arabian Sea.
El Tifani, with and is linked to ENSA Ship Management Private Limited, an Indian shipping company sanctioned for alleged ties to Iran.
The vessel is listed on the Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions list (OFAC) under Executive Order 13846 related to Iran, and operates without a registered flag, making it a priority target of the interdiction campaign.
According to maritime tracking data, the Tifani left the Gulf region on April 10, made a brief stop near the port of Galle in Sri Lanka on April 18, and abruptly changed course after being intercepted.
The Department of Defense warned that "international waters are not a refuge for sanctioned vessels" and reaffirmed its commitment to "pursue global maritime enforcement efforts to dismantle illicit networks and intercept sanctioned ships that provide material support to Iran, anywhere they operate."
This approach in the INDOPACOM area —unlike the Touska, intercepted in the Central Command (CENTCOM) area— emphasizes the global dimension of the U.S. campaign, which is not limited to the Persian Gulf or the Arabian Sea.
The naval blockade was ordered by President Donald Trump on April 12 through a presidential proclamation and went into effect the following day, with more than a dozen warships, over 100 aircraft, and approximately 10,000 deployed personnel.
Since the onset of the blockade, U.S. forces had directed 25 commercial vessels to turn back prior to the boarding of the Touska, which was carrying dual-use materials from China — metals, pipes, electronic components, and chemicals usable in ballistic missiles — and was disabled by cannon fire from the USS Spruance destroyer after ignoring warnings for six hours.
Iran described that approach as "armed piracy," and its military command Khatam Al-Anbiya warned that it will "respond soon and take reprisals."
The accumulation of incidents —Touska on Monday, Tifani this Tuesday— is occurring with the ceasefire nearing its expiration this Wednesday, April 22, agreed upon on April 8 and mediated by Pakistan, and without any diplomatic agreement in sight following a second round of negotiations led by Vice President JD Vance in Islamabad.
Trump declared on Monday that an extension of the ceasefire is "highly unlikely".
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