US FORCES HAVE boarded a tanker carrying Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean, the Pentagon said, marking an escalation of the American blockade of Iran’s imports and exports. 

“Overnight, US forces carried out a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel M/T Majestic X transporting oil from Iran, in the Indian Ocean within the INDOPACOM area of responsibility,” the Department of Defense said in a statement on social media. 

INDOPACOM refers to the US Indo-Pacific Command. 

“We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate,” it said.

“International waters cannot be used as a shield by sanctioned actors. The Department of War will continue to deny illicit actors and their vessels’ freedom of manoeuvre in the maritime domain.”

Overnight, U.S. forces carried out a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel M/T Majestic X transporting oil from Iran, in the Indian Ocean within the INDOPACOM area of responsibility.

We will continue global maritime enforcement to… pic.twitter.com/SWF6Jt9Ci4

— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) April 23, 2026

Video footage of the boarding shared by the department shows helicopters transporting armed soldiers to the tanker, where they zip line down to the deck. 

“We intend to conduct a boarding of your vessel,” a voice can be heard saying. 

The US has continued to enforce its blockade of Iran’s ports even though a ceasefire remains in place. Iran had committed to opening the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, but has returned to halting traffic since the US blockade began.