The Pentagon said on Thursday that US forces boarded another tanker in the Indian Ocean that it said was carrying Iranian oil, as the US continues to enforce a blockade against Iran.
“Overnight, US forces carried out a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel M/T Majestic X transporting oil from Iran, in the Indian Ocean,” the US War Department said in a post on X that included a video of US forces boarding the vessel.
The incident marks the second tanker that the US has boarded in the Indian Ocean this week and the third ship that was seized by US forces since the US began enforcing the current blockade on Iranian ports, which Iranian officials say must be lifted in order to hold peace talks. On Wednesday, Iran’s IRGC seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Despite the US enforcement of the blockade, many Iranian ships have been getting through, according to ship-tracking data. The Financial Times reported on Wednesday that at least 34 ships with links to Iran have made it through the US blockade, including 19 tankers that exited the Persian Gulf and 15 that entered the Gulf from the Arabian Sea.
Also on Thursday, President Trump said that he ordered the US Navy to “shoot and kill” any Iranian ship laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, though it’s unclear if mines are being put in the waterway since Iran has been enforcing its control over the strait with drones.
“I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be (Their naval ships are ALL, 159 of them, at the bottom of the sea!), that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“There is to be no hesitation. Additionally, our mine “sweepers” are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he added.
