The Dorena, an Iranian-flagged supertanker carrying 2 million barrels of crude, was under escort by a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Indian Ocean on April 22, 2026. The U.S. Central Command said in a social media post that the tanker had tried to violate the blockade.
On the same day, Reuters reported that the U.S. military had intercepted at least three Iranian-flagged tankers in Asian waters and was steering them away from positions near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. The operation followed Washington’s imposition of a sea blockade on Iran’s trade. Tehran had already fired on ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow entrance to the Gulf. The closure of that waterway took about one fifth of the world’s oil and gas off the market and set off a global energy crisis.
The ships involved
Two U.S. and Indian shipping sources and two Western maritime security sources described the interceptions. The Deep Sea, a supertanker partly loaded with crude, last appeared on public tracking data off Malaysia about a week before April 22. The Sevin had a capacity of 1 million barrels and was carrying 65 percent of its load when it was last seen off Malaysia a month earlier. The Dorena, loaded with 2 million barrels, had last been spotted off southern India three days before the report.
A fourth tanker, the Derya, may also have been stopped. It had not discharged its Iranian oil in India before a U.S. waiver expired that Sunday. Tracking data showed its last position off India’s western coast the previous Friday. U.S. Central Command said American forces had directed 29 vessels to turn around or return to port since the blockade began.
Iran’s response
Iran said its forces captured two container ships trying to leave the Gulf through Hormuz on April 22, firing on them and on a third ship. It was Tehran’s first seizure since the war began. Nearly two months into the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran, an uneasy ceasefire held, but Reuters reported little sign that peace talks would resume.
In the days before April 22, U.S. forces also took an Iranian cargo ship and an oil tanker. A third maritime security source said American commanders were targeting Iranian vessels in open water, away from Hormuz, to avoid floating mines. The U.S. military did not respond to requests for comment on the interceptions.
Sources
- Exclusive-US intercepts three Iranian oil tankers in Asian waters, sources say – AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012
- U.S. Seizes Davina Tanker Carrying Iranian Oil Near Sri Lanka – Third Interdiction Since April 2026 – News and Statistics – IndexBox
