Iran says redirects US-sanctioned oil tanker to its shores

TEHRAN: Iran said on Friday it redirected a US-sanctioned oil tanker carrying Iranian oil back to its shores, though it was unclear from its statement why it had been targeted.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s navy, through a specially planned operation in the Sea of Oman, seized the offending tanker Ocean Koi,” the army said in a statement carried by state television, adding that the oil belonged to the “Islamic republic”.

It said the ship was redirected to Iran’s southern shores after it sought “to damage and disrupt Iran’s oil exports,” without elaborating.

In February, the US Treasury Department placed sanctions on the Barbados-flagged tanker, which it said has since 2020 been part of Iran’s so-called “shadow fleet” — a network of vessels used to transport oil while evading sanctions.

The tanker “has transported millions of barrels of Iranian high sulfur fuel oil (HSFO) and condensate since May 2025,” it added.

Iranian state television released a video of what it called a “seizure” of the tanker, showing Iranian forces following the vessel at night in small boats and boarding it using a ladder, before it was redirected back to Iranian shores.

The army said the tanker was handed “to judicial authorities” upon its return to the country’s shores.