‘Shoot and kill’: Trump issues lethal order after US seizes Iranian oil tanker in Indian Ocean

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical maritime chokepoint through which around 20 per cent of global crude oil and natural gas trade passes.

Pentagon says it has seized another tanker

Trump’s order followed the seizure of another tanker associated with the smuggling of Iranian oil, further raising the stakes in the standoff with Tehran.

According to the Department of War, US forces boarded and seized the Guinea-flagged oil tanker Majestic X in the Indian Ocean. The department also released video footage showing personnel on the vessel’s deck.

“We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

Overnight, U.S. forces carried out a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel M/T Majestic X transporting oil from Iran, in the Indian Ocean within the INDOPACOM area of responsibility.

We will continue global maritime enforcement to… pic.twitter.com/SWF6Jt9Ci4

— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) April 23, 2026

Ship-tracking data placed the Majestic X between Sri Lanka and Indonesia, in a similar location to where another tanker, the Tifani, had previously been seized by American forces. The vessel was reportedly en route to Zhoushan, China.

The tanker had earlier operated under the name Phonix and was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department in 2024 for smuggling Iranian crude oil in violation of US sanctions. There was no immediate response from Iran following the seizure.

Recent attacks and escalation at sea

The latest developments come a day after Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guards attacked three cargo ships in the strait, capturing two of them.

Since the start of the conflict on February 28 involving Iran, Israel and the United States, more than 30 ships have been targeted across the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, the AP reported.

The continued threat of attacks, coupled with rising insurance costs, has severely disrupted maritime traffic through the strait. Iran’s capacity to restrict passage through the narrow waterway has emerged as a significant strategic lever in the confrontation.