"International Waters Not Refuge": US' Tanker Action In Indo-Pacific

The United States on Tuesday said its forces carried out a maritime interdiction operation on a "stateless" sanctioned tanker in the Indo-Pacific region, without any incident.

In a post on X, the US Defense Department said American forces conducted a "right-of-visit" boarding of the vessel, identified as M/T Tifani, as part of efforts to enforce global maritime sanctions.

"Overnight, US forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding of the stateless sanctioned M/T Tifani without incident in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility," the Defense Department wrote on X.

"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. International waters are not a refuge for sanctioned vessels. The Department of War will continue to deny illicit actors and their vessels freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain," the Defense Department added.

Overnight, U.S. forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding of the stateless sanctioned M/T Tifani without incident in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility.⁰⁰As we have made clear, we will pursue global maritime enforcement efforts to disrupt illicit… pic.twitter.com/EGwDe3dBI3

— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) April 21, 2026

The US said the operation is aimed at disrupting illicit networks and intercepting vessels allegedly providing material support to Iran.

The Tifani was carrying oil in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday between Sri Lanka and Indonesia, according to ship-tracking data.

No further details about the cargo, crew, or origin of the vessel were immediately available.

Read Here: The US Was Right: Iran Has A 'Nuclear' Weapon, But It's Not A Missile

One day before this incident an Iranian tanker called "Silly City" successfully reached the country's waters despite a naval blockade and threats from a US Navy task force.

The vessel reached a southern Iranian port overnight after passing through the Arabian Sea with full security and operational support from Iran's navy, according to reports.

"Despite numerous warnings and threats from the US Navy Fleet Group, the Iranian oil tanker Silly City, with the operational support of the Iranian Navy and in full safety, entered Iran's territorial waters last night after crossing the Arabian Sea," the Iranian military said in a statement on Tuesday.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the US blockade will remain in place for now. He also stated that a two-week ceasefire with Iran, which is set to expire Wednesday evening, will not be extended.

"We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the past two weeks, we have prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield," Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is Iran's top negotiator in talks with the United States, wrote in a post on X.