Reuters. Footage released by the U.S. Department of War on Thursday (April 23) showed U.S. forces boarding what it said was the sanctioned, stateless tanker M/T Majestic X carrying Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean.
Reuters confirmed the identity of the tanker confirmed as Majestic X by its shape, structures, cranes and paintwork, which matched file imagery of the vessel.
Audio can be heard warning the vessel of U.S. forces’ intent to conduct a boarding before helicopters moved in.
In a post on X, the Department of War said the vessel was tracked to the Indian Ocean and ship tracking data from April 23, 2026 shows the ship in the Indian Ocean. The Department of Defense said in a post that the operation occurred “overnight”, it most likely refers to U.S. hours.
U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the department to rename itself the Department of War, a change that will require action by Congress
Washington, which has been confronting Iranian ships in international waters to enforce a blockade of its own, said it had boarded another tanker, the Majestic, in the Indian Ocean on Thursday. That appeared to be a reference to a supertanker, also called the Phonix, last reported off the coast of Sri Lanka carrying 2 million barrels of crude.
