Pentagon: US forces board sanctioned oil tanker

The Defense Department says U.S. forces have boarded an oil tanker previously sanctioned for smuggling Iranian crude oil in Asia.

The Pentagon said Tuesday on social media that U.S. forces “conducted a right-of-visit maritime interdiction” and boarded the M/T Tifani “without incident.” It’s the latest move in the U.S. war on Iran to stop any ship tied to Tehran or those suspected of carrying supplies that could help its government.

Ship-tracking data showed the Tifani was carrying oil in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday between Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

The Pentagon described the Tifani as “stateless” despite it being a Botswana-flagged vessel.

The announcement comes hours ahead of the expiration of an already tenuous ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran.