According to a report by Reuters on Wednesday 22 April, 2026, the U.S. military has intercepted at least three Iranian-flagged oil tankers in Asian waters, redirecting them away from key maritime routes near India, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka, according to shipping and security sources cited on Wednesday.
The development marks another escalation in the already tense maritime standoff tied to Washington’s blockade of Iran’s sea trade and Tehran’s own moves to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. That narrow waterway, at the mouth of the Gulf, remains largely paralysed, with global energy markets already feeling the strain. Nearly a fifth of the world’s oil and gas typically passes through it.
In recent days, both sides have stepped up actions at sea. U.S. forces have reportedly seized at least one cargo ship and an oil tanker, while Iran says it has captured two container vessels attempting to leave the Gulf after coming under fire. The broader conflict, now stretching close to two months since the U.S. and Israel launched operations against Iran, shows little sign of easing, even with an uneasy ceasefire still technically in place.
According to multiple shipping and maritime security sources, the latest U.S. actions include diverting at least three additional Iranian-flagged tankers operating in waters off Asia. The military itself has not commented publicly on the specific interceptions.
One of the vessels identified is the Deep Sea, a large Iranian-flagged supertanker carrying crude oil and last tracked off the Malaysian coast about a week ago. Another, the Sevin, with a capacity of roughly one million barrels and carrying around two-thirds of its load, was last seen in the same general region roughly a month earlier.
A third vessel, the Dorena, reportedly fully loaded with up to two million barrels of crude, was last located near southern India just days ago. U.S. Central Command later said the ship had been placed under escort by a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Indian Ocean after allegedly attempting to breach the blockade. It also claimed that since the start of the operation, 29 vessels have been instructed to turn back or return to port.
There are also reports that another tanker, the Derya, may have been intercepted after failing to offload Iranian crude in India when a U.S. waiver expired. Its last confirmed position was off India’s west coast.
Meanwhile, maritime sources suggest U.S. forces are increasingly operating farther from the Strait of Hormuz itself, likely to reduce risks linked to possible mines and other hazards in the area.
For now, neither the U.S. military nor Iran has provided full clarity on all the vessels involved, and several details remain unverified as shipping traffic across the region continues to be heavily disrupted.
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