US says it seizes another tanker 'associated with smuggling Iranian oil in Indian Ocean

Amid heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, the US military on Thursday said it seized another tanker "associated with smuggling" Iranian oil.

This comes a day after the Iranian Revolutionary Guards shot at three ships passing through the Strait, two of which were seized.

The Department of War released video footage of US forces on the deck of the oil tanker Majestic X, which was seized in the Indian Ocean.

The Pentagon in a statement said, "We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate."

According to ship tracking data, Majestic X was sailing in the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka and Indonesia, near the same location as the oil tanker Tifani, earlier seized by American forces. 

It had been bound for Zhoushan, China.

There was no immediate response from Iran on the seizure.

Iran targeting ships on Wednesday, leading intensified assault on shipping in the key waterway through which 20 per cent of the world's traded oil passes in peacetime.

The Majestic X is a Guyana-flagged oil tanker and was previously named Phonix. It was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department in 2024 for smuggling Iranian crude oil in contravention of US sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire while maintaining an American blockade of Iranian ports.

The war between the US and Iran has choked off almost all exports through the Strait of Hormuz, with no near end in sight.

The crisis has led to a world-wide oil shortage, with Asia being one of the most impacted. Oil prices have risen sharply globally, which has also resulted in increase of food and other products.

On Wednesday, European Union energy commissioner, Dan Jorgensen, warned of long-term impact on consumers and businesses, likening it to other major energy crises over the last half-century.