India seizes Iran-linked US-sanctioned oil tankers: Report

India has seized three oil tankers sanctioned by the United States and linked to Iran this month, and has tightened surveillance across its maritime zone to check illicit trade, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told news agency Reuters on Monday. The move confirms details from a February 6 post on X by Indian authorities that was later deleted.The seizures and heightened surveillance follow an improvement in US-India relations. Washington earlier this month announced it will cut import tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50%, after New Delhi agreed to stop Russian oil imports.
The three sanctioned vessels – Stellar Ruby, Asphalt Star and Al Jafzia – frequently changed their identities to evade law enforcement by coastal states, the source said, adding that their owners were based overseas. Iranian state media cited the National Iranian Oil Company as saying that the three tankers seized by India had no connection to the company. It said that neither the cargoes nor the vessels were linked to the company. According to the source, India wants to ensure its waters are not used for ship-to-ship transfers designed to mask the origin of oil cargoes. Such transfers are often used to bypass sanctions and complicate tracking.
Indian authorities had said in a now-deleted X post that three vessels were intercepted about 100 nautical miles west of Mumbai after suspicious activity involving a tanker was detected. The source confirmed to Reuters that the vessels were later escorted to Mumbai for further investigation. The US Office of Foreign Assets Control said last year it had sanctioned three vessels — Global Peace, Chil 1 and Glory Star 1 — with International Maritime Organization (IMO) numbers identical to the ships recently seized by India.
Sanctioned oil and fuel are often traded at steep discounts because of the risks involved. Intermediaries typically rely on layered ownership structures, falsified paperwork and mid-sea transfers to obscure cargo origins and avoid enforcement scrutiny.