US forces board sanctioned tanker Tifani in first blockade interdiction

US forces boarded the Botswana-flagged tanker Tifani in the Bay of Bengal, the Pentagon said, describing a right-of-visit maritime interdiction carried out without incident. According to the Associated Press, the vessel was carrying Iranian crude and had previously been sanctioned over smuggling Iranian oil in Asia. Bloomberg reported it was the first such boarding since Washington imposed a blockade on Iranian shipping about a week earlier. The Pentagon said international waters were "not a refuge for sanctioned vessels". Iran's military called the boarding piracy, the AP reported, while US officials argued the conflict remained active.

This is a summary in our own words of the linked reporting. Allegations are those of the source. How we report.