U.S. forces have seized the Iran-linked oil tanker Skywave in the Indian Ocean, an operation carried out as President Donald Trump issued new threats of military action against Tehran, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal citing three U.S. officials.

The vessel, a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) with a deadweight tonnage of 302,481, was intercepted while navigating waters between Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

Ship-tracking data showed the Skywave sailing west of Malaysia on May 19 after transiting the Malacca Strait. Brokers and Lloyd’s List Intelligence data suggest the ship was carrying over one million barrels of crude oil loaded at Iran’s Kharg Island in February.

The Skywave had been sanctioned by the United States in March for its role in transporting Iranian oil. Its reported sale to an unidentified buyer in March 2025 coincided with sanctions imposed by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on the tanker’s owner, United Tankers Ltd of the Marshall Islands, and its operator, Lake View Ship Management Private Limited of India.

This interdiction marks at least the third such seizure in the Indian Ocean targeting Tehran’s “shadow fleet” of ageing, often uninsured tankers that use deceptive practices to move sanctioned oil. In April, the US seized two other Iran-linked tankers, the Majestic X and the Tifani, in the same region.

The seizure follows President Trump’s recent warnings that the United States could resume large-scale military strikes against Iran. Trump stated on May 19 that he had been “an hour away” from ordering an attack but delayed the decision after requests from Gulf allies, while cautioning that military action could be taken “at a moment’s notice” if ongoing negotiations fail.