-- US forces have intercepted at least three Iranian-flagged vessels in Asian waters, before redirecting them from their respective positions, according to a Reuters report, citing shipping and security forces familiar with the matter.
The report said that the vessels positioned near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, and comes amid Washington's continuing blockade against the country's sea trade.
In recent days, US forces have diverted at least three other Iranian vessels, Reuters said, citing two US and Indian shipping sources, alongside two Western maritime security sources.
One of the vessel has been identified as Sevin, a tanker with 1 million barrels in capacity, carrying 65% of its load, which was last seen off the coast of Malaysia a month ago, according to ship tracking data.
An Iranian deep-sea supertanker, which was also last seen on its public tracking transponder near Malaysia over a week ago, was reportedly intercepted.
Dorena, an Iranian-flagged vessel with over 2 million barrels of oil, was last seen off the coast of Southern India three days ago, according to ship tracking data. A US Centcom post on X said that Dorena was under a US Navy escort, "after previously attempting to violate the blockade."
The post also said that as many as 29 vessels have been asked to "turn around or return to port" as part of the blockade, which began 10 days ago.
US Department of Defense did not immediately respond to' request for comments.
(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)