US intercepts three Iranian tankers, redirects 29 ships
Shafaq News- Washington
The US military has intercepted at least three Iranian-flagged tankers in Asian waters and is redirecting them away from their positions near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing shipping and security sources.
One of the vessels was the Iranian-flagged Deep Sea supertanker, which was part loaded with crude and last seen on its public tracking transponder off Malaysia's coast a week ago, according to the sources and ship tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform.
The smaller Iranian-flagged Sevin, which had a maximum capacity of 1 million barrels and was carrying 65% of its load, was also intercepted. The vessel was last seen off Malaysia’s coast a month ago, ship tracking data showed. The Iranian-flagged supertanker Dorena was also intercepted, fully loaded with 2 million barrels of crude, and last seen off the coast of southern India three days ago, according to the sources and ship tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform.
Meanwhile, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that since the start of its blockade against ships entering or exiting Iranian ports, U.S. forces haddirected 29 vessels to turn around or return to port, opens new tab.
U.S. forces have directed 29 vessels to turn around or return to port as part of the U.S. blockade against Iran. Over past 24 hours, media reports have alleged that several commercial ships evaded the blockade, citing M/V Hero II, M/V Hedy, and M/V Dorena as examples. These… pic.twitter.com/SKelkSOr77
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 22, 2026
The US Department of War has informed Congress that clearing naval mines reportedly planted by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz could take up to six months, according to a report by The Washington Post. The Pentagon ruled out carrying out such an operation before the end of the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran, the report said.
