By Julian Lee April 27, 2026 (Bloomberg) – Two oil tankers linked to Iran, which were stopped by US forces near Sri Lanka last week, are now heading west. The US military conducted boardings of the superta...
By Julian Lee
April 27, 2026 (Bloomberg) – Two oil tankers linked to Iran, which were stopped by US forces near Sri Lanka last week, are now heading west.
The US military conducted boardings of the supertankers Tifani and Phonix on April 21 and 23, respectively, according to the Pentagon. They did not specify what would happen to the ships next. Notably, the Phonix is also called the Majestic X.
Both tankers are currently traveling west across the Indian Ocean and appear to be close to each other, as indicated by digital signals from the ships.
The US has not made any formal announcements about what will happen to either vessel. They are still showing the same destinations in Asia as they did when they were interdicted, creating uncertainty about their current routes.
Cape Town, located at the southern tip of Africa, is a common stop for ships heading to the US. They are also moving towards the UK-controlled Chagos Archipelago, which has a US military base at Diego Garcia.
In the past, when the US enforced a similar blockade in Venezuela, some of its shipments were intercepted in the Caribbean Sea and redirected to US ports.
The US’s restrictions on Iran’s shipping began on April 13 after Tehran responded to attacks from the US and Israel that started in late February by closing the Strait of Hormuz.
While shipping signals can be manipulated, it seems that this is not the case for the Tifani or Phonix.
The US Central Command did not reply to requests for comments.