US forces boarded and seized the tanker Majestic X in the Indian Ocean overnight, according to the US Department of War, in the latest escalation involving vessels linked to sanctioned Iranian oil shipments.
US authorities identified the ship as Majestic X, although maritime databases also list the vessel — IMO number 9198317 — under the name Phonix. The tanker is recorded as a 280,000 dwt VLCC.
In an official statement, the Department of War said US forces had carried out a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of what it described as a sanctioned, stateless vessel transporting Iranian oil within the INDOPACOM area of responsibility.
The tanker had already been added to the US Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions list in December 2024 for transporting Iranian oil as part of the Vision Ship Management fleet.
Its seizure comes just days after a series of maritime incidents in and around the Strait of Hormuz, including Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels on 23 April, the US seizure of the VLCC Tifani on 21 April, and the earlier seizure of the container ship Touska on 19 April.
The location where Majestic X was boarded is reportedly close to where Tifani was intercepted in the Indian Ocean.
In its statement, the Department of War said international waters cannot be used as protection by sanctioned actors and added that the US would continue to deny illicit operators and their vessels freedom of movement at sea.
Until last year, vessel seizures of this kind were relatively uncommon. That changed when the US stepped up enforcement action against ships sanctioned for carrying Venezuelan oil, setting a precedent for more aggressive maritime intervention.
