CENTCOM
The United States has seized a VLCC in the Indian Ocean carrying more than 1m barrels of Iranian crude, the third Iranian-linked vessel grabbed by Washington since it launched military action against Tehran in February.
The 302,500 dwt Skywave (built 2005) was reportedly loaded at Iran’s Kharg Island and was sailing west of Malaysia after transiting the Malacca Strait when it was intercepted.
The vessel has been listed under both Comoros and Botswana flags in different shipping databases. Landlocked Botswana has made clear it has never had a shipping registry. The Skywave was previously sanctioned in March 2025 under its former name Blue Gulf, linked to United Tankers, for transporting Iranian oil.
The seizure came alongside a US blacklisting of 19 additional ships, further tightening Washington’s noose on Iranian oil exports as the Hormuz crisis enters its fourth month with no resolution in sight.
Meanwhile, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority – the body Tehran created to demand mandatory cargo declarations from vessels wishing to transit Hormuz – has launched an official account on X, giving its toll-keeping operation a social media presence. The account went live this week.
On the financial front, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has this week designated 12 individuals and entities for their roles enabling the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to sell and ship Iranian oil to China, targeting a network of front companies spanning Hong Kong, Dubai, Sharjah and Oman.
“As Iran’s military desperately tries to regroup, Economic Fury will continue to deprive the regime of funding for its weapons programs, terrorist proxies, and nuclear ambitions,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
OFAC said the IRGC relies on cover companies in permissive jurisdictions to conceal its role in oil sales. The designated entities include Hong Kong Blue Ocean Limited, Hong Kong Sanmu Limited, and Max Honor International Trade Co., which were involved in multiple IRGC oil shipments in 2025 worth tens of millions of dollars each, carried aboard sanctioned shadow fleet tankers. Dubai-based Ocean Allianz Shipping and Sharjah-based Atic Energy FZE were also designated for facilitating shipments on five sanctioned vessels. Oman-based Zeus Logistics Group was named for arranging vessels to carry Iranian oil cargoes.
Three Iranian nationals at the IRGC’s Shahid Purja’fari Oil Headquarters – its chief, finance chief and commercial chief – were also designated for coordinating payments through front companies and managing foreign currency flows on behalf of the IRGC.
OFAC warned it is prepared to impose secondary sanctions on foreign financial institutions that facilitate Iran’s activities, including those connected to Chinese independent teapot oil refineries – a pointed signal to Beijing, which remains the primary buyer of sanctioned Iranian crude.
TagsIran United States Sam ChambersMay 20, 20260 1,840 2 minutes read
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