U.S. Boards Sanctioned ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker in Indian Ocean as Enforcement Push Expands

The U.S. military said overnight it carried out a maritime interdiction and “right-of-visit” boarding of the sanctioned stateless tanker Majestic X in the Indian Ocean, signaling U.S. enforcement against Iranian oil shipments is expanding far beyond the Strait of Hormuz.

The boarding, announced Thursday by the Department of War, targeted the tanker formerly known as Phonix—a vessel long associated with Iran’s shadow fleet and accused of helping move millions of barrels of sanctioned crude since 2023.

“International waters cannot be used as a shield by sanctioned actors,” the department said in a statement, adding U.S. forces would continue “global maritime enforcement”