×

US military boards, releases Iran-flagged oil tanker in Gulf of Oman

By Thomson Reuters May 20, 2026 | 12:12 PM

May 20 (Reuters) – The U.S. military boarded ​Iranian-flagged commercial ‌oil tanker M/T Celestial Sea in the Gulf ‌of ​Oman ⁠on Wednesday ⁠after suspecting it had violated a U.S. blockade, ​U.S. Central Command said ⁠in ⁠a statement.

U.S. ​forces released the ​ship, which was headed ‌toward an Iranian port, after searching ⁠it and directing its crew to ⁠alter ‌course, the ⁠statement said.

(Reporting ​by ‌Ismail Shakil ​in Ottawa ⁠and Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto; Editing by Katharine ​Jackson)