The U.S. military has intercepted at least three Iranian-flagged tankers in Asian waters and is redirecting them away from positions near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, according to shipping and security sources cited by Reuters on Wednesday, in the latest escalation of Washington’s naval blockade of Iran’s sea trade.
US Blockade Widens Beyond Hormuz Waters
The interceptions come as Iran has fired on ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway at the mouth of the Gulf that carries about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies and has become a focal point of the war’s widening energy shock.
Reuters reported that the U.S. has diverted at least three more Iranian-flagged oil tankers in recent days, citing two U.S. and Indian shipping sources and two Western maritime security sources.
Deep Sea, Sevin And Dorena Targeted
One of them, the Deep Sea supertanker, was partly loaded with crude and was last visible on public tracking data off Malaysia a week ago. The smaller Sevin, with a capacity of 1 million barrels and carrying about 65% of its cargo, was also intercepted after it was last tracked off Malaysia.
The supertanker Dorena, fully loaded with 2 million barrels of crude oil, was last seen off the coast of southern India three days ago. U.S. Central Command said on X that the Dorena is now under escort by a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Indian Ocean after attempting to violate the blockade.
CENTCOM said Wednesday that U.S. forces have directed 29 vessels to turn around or return to port since the blockade began. Reuters added that U.S. forces appear to be targeting Iranian ships farther from Hormuz to reduce the risk posed by floating mines.
Iran Hardens Position As Seizures Mount
The maritime standoff deepened after Iran said it seized two container ships trying to exit the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, its first such seizures since the war began.
Iranian officials blamed Washington for the diplomatic deadlock and the strait’s continued closure. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said there can be no real ceasefire while the blockade remains, writing on X that, “A complete ceasefire only makes sense if it is not violated by the maritime blockade and the hostage-taking of the world’s economy.” President Masoud Pezeshkian also said diplomacy, not pressure, was needed for talks in an X update of his own.
Photo by Faraways via Shutterstock
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