The US military on April 22 (US time) intercepted at least 3 Iranian-flagged oil tankers in Asian waters and directed them away from locations near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, according to transport and maritime security sources. This development takes place in the context of Washington imposing a maritime trade blockade on Iran.
The blocked ships include the super oil tanker Deep Sea, which was discovered off the coast of Malaysia while carrying part of the crude oil; the Sevin ship with a maximum capacity of 1 million barrels, carrying about 65% of its tonnage; and the Dorena ship, carrying about 2 million barrels of oil, recorded off the southern coast of India. Maritime tracking data shows that these ships have been diverted in recent days.
The US move comes amid a nearly 2-month-long conflict with Iran, causing serious disruptions to the transportation route through the Strait of Hormuz. This region is responsible for about 1/5 of global oil and liquefied gas supplies. The closure of the strait has further exacerbated the global energy crisis.
In parallel, Iran also took retaliatory actions at sea. Tehran said it had arrested two container ships trying to leave the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz after firing guns at these ships and another ship. These are the first arrests since the conflict broke out.
Previously, US forces also seized an Iranian cargo ship and an oil tanker. A maritime security source said that the US military is targeting Iranian ships in the waters far from the Strait of Hormuz to reduce the risk of naval mines during the operation.
Currently, the US military has not made official comments on the latest interceptions. Meanwhile, efforts to resume peace talks between the parties have not shown signs of progress, although the ceasefire is being maintained in a fragile state.
