WASHINGTON, April 21 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Department of War said Tuesday that its forces had boarded an oil tanker previously sanctioned for smuggling Iranian crude.
Ship-tracking data showed the vessel located in the Indian Ocean, between Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
"Overnight, U.S. forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding of the stateless sanctioned M/T Tifani" in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility, the Pentagon said on social media platform X.
"International waters are not a refuge for sanctioned vessels," it further said.
"As we have made clear, we will pursue global maritime enforcement efforts to disrupt illicit networks and interdict sanctioned vessels providing material support to Iran, anywhere they operate," the Pentagon said.
The incident came after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that U.S. forces have intercepted and taken custody of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named Touska, which was trying to bypass its naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman.
Iran has attacked U.S. military ships in retaliation for the U.S. seizure of its vessel, according to latest news reports.
Earlier, Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters warned that it will "soon respond" to the U.S. "armed maritime piracy," according to Iran's Press TV. ■
