India intercepts US-sanctioned Iran-linked tankers in Mumbai raid: Report | India News

India has seized three US-sanctioned oil tankers bound for Iran this month while stepping up maritime surveillance to curb illegal trade, a source said on Monday.

This move follows a deleted post by the Indian Coast Guard in February X. India aims to prevent ship-to-ship transfers that conceal the true origin of oil cargoes in its waters, a source with direct knowledge said, according to a report by Reuters.

The seizures and increased surveillance come at a time when U.S.-India relations are warming.

Washington had announced earlier this month that it would reduce import duties on Indian goods from 50% to 18% after the US claimed that India had promised to stop oil imports from Russia in the India-US trade deal.

The source said that the three sanctioned tankers (Stellar Ruby, Asphalt Star and Al Jafzia) routinely changed their identities to avoid coastal state sanctions, and that their owners were based abroad.

Earlier, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) had busted an international oil smuggling ring through a coordinated sea-air operation between February 5-6.
Authorities targeted an organized network engaged in the illegal mid-sea transfer of oil and related cargo from conflict zones.

The statement detailed how Coast Guard vessels intercepted three suspicious vessels and conducted extensive boarding operations, including examining electronic data, verifying documents and interrogating crew members. Investigators uncovered an organization that relied on complex ship-to-ship transfers in international waters to conceal the origin of cargo and evade duties owed to coastal states.

ICG’s cutting-edge surveillance first detected a motor tanker operating suspiciously within India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Digital tracking and pattern analysis then detected two more ships heading towards it, prompting a coordinated response. Preliminary findings suggest that the ships frequently change identities to avoid detection and the ships will soon be handed over to the Indian Customs and other agencies for legal action.

According to a Reuters report, last year the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on three ships – Global Peace, Chil 1 and Glory Star 1 – bearing the same IMO numbers as the ships India recently seized. LSEG data links two of the three tankers to Iran: Al Jafzia was carrying fuel from Iran to Djibouti in 2025, while Stellar Ruby was flagged there.