US Navy Stops Sanctioned Iran Vessel in Arabian Sea

The U.S. Navy intercepted on Friday an Iranian merchant ship in the Arabian Sea that was among 19 "shadow fleet" vessels sanctioned by the Treasury Department for links to transporting energy products.

U.S. Central Command said in a post on X that the Sevan was intercepted in the Arabian Sea by a U.S. Navy helicopter from the guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney.

"The merchant vessel is currently complying with U.S. military direction to turn back to Iran under escort," CENTCOM said. "U.S. forces continue to enforce U.S. sanctions and fully implement the blockade against ships entering or departing Iranian ports."

CENTCOM added that 37 vessels have been redirected since the start of the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global energy markets.

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control on Friday sanctioned 19 shadow fleet vessels "responsible for transporting billions of dollars' worth of Iranian crude oil, liquefied petroleum gas, and other petroleum and petrochemical products to foreign markets, further narrowing the Iranian regime's options for sustaining its energy sales, the lifeblood of its economy."

It said the Panama-flagged Sevan, owned by Marshall Islands-based Anka Energy and Logistics Co., transported multiple cargoes of Iranian propane and butane totaling approximately 750,000 barrels to Bangladesh between August and November 2025.

Anka Energy, which Bloomberg reported is owned and managed by interests in Dubai, was  also placed on Treasury's sanctions list.

"At President Trump's direction, Treasury will continue to constrict the network of vessels, intermediaries, and buyers Iran relies on to move its oil to global markets," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. "Any person or vessel facilitating these flows — through covert trade and finance — risks exposure to U.S. sanctions."

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