U.S. forces have carried out a maritime interdiction in the Indian Ocean against the sanctioned VLCC Tifani, in what appears to be the first operation of its kind since Washington expanded its blockade of Iranian ports to include OFAC-sanctioned vessels worldwide.
According to the U.S. Department of War, the boarding was conducted without incident under a right-of-visit maritime interdiction procedure. The tanker was described as stateless. The Equasis database lists its flag as unknown, although other databases had shown it as Botswana-flagged until March this year.
The 23-year-old vessel was sanctioned by OFAC in July 2025.
AIS data from Pole Star Global indicates that the interdiction took place in the middle of the Indian Ocean. At the time, the fully laden 299,999 dwt tanker had departed from offshore Galle, in Sri Lanka.
The operation sends a clear message that the United States is now prepared to interdict sanctioned vessels linked to Iran wherever they operate, not only in the Gulf region.
In a statement, the U.S. Department of War said it would continue global maritime enforcement efforts aimed at disrupting illicit networks and intercepting sanctioned vessels providing material support to Iran. It also made it clear that international waters should not be seen as a refuge for such ships.
The Tifani was listed as heading to “Singapore for orders.” The vessel had previously been tracked near Malaysia’s Eastern Outer Port Limits anchorage, close to the eastern end of the Singapore Strait, a location commonly used for ship-to-ship transfers. It had reportedly been recorded there on three occasions since November 2024.
Following the interdiction, the vessel appeared to be heading south in the Indian Ocean.
