U.S. Releases Six Iranian Seafarers While Moving for Forfeiture of Tankers
Iranian officials are reporting that the U.S. released six crewmembers from one of the vessels that had been boarded and commandeered since the start of the blockade on Iran. The U.S., however, continues to control the vessels, and a new report says the Department of Justice is seeking forfeiture orders on two of the laden tankers that have been stopped.
The semi-official Tasmin News Agency reported that six Iranian seafarers who had been aboard the containership Touska were returned to Iran on Wednesday, April 29. The report says that Iran secured the freedom of the crewmembers through diplomatic channels.
Iran is asserting that it refrained from sending troops to retake the Touska “at this stage” due to concerns for the safety of the crewmembers. It reports that there was a total of 28 crewmembers, and it is continuing to work diplomatic channels seeking the return of the remaining 22 crewmembers.
The Touska, Iran admits, was sailing from China to Iran when U.S. forces interdicted the vessel on April 19 in the northern Arabian Sea. USS Spruance tracked the vessel for over six hours, repeatedly directing the ship to divert before issuing a warning and shooting to disable the vessel’s propulsion. Marines from USS Tripoli boarded the containership and, on April 19 and 20, commenced searching the vessel.
Donald Trump has said the U.S. found “some not so nice things” without offering details, saying China was sending “presents” to Iran. The Iranian government rejects these claims, as do the Chinese, while Iran has demanded the immediate release of the ship, which remains in U.S. custody.
Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, yesterday (April 29) said that the blockade had redirected 42 ships (now 44), although Iran continues to claim a few ships are slipping through. Cooper reported that it included 41 tankers laden with 69 million barrels of oil valued at an estimated more than $6 billion. Cooper called the blockade “highly effective, and U.S. forces remain fully committed to total enforcement.”
Bloomberg is quoting a “senior administration official” who reported the U.S. has begun to seek forfeiture orders for two of the tankers that were stopped in the Bay of Bengal/Indian Ocean region last week. U.S. forces stopped the tanker Tifani (300,000 dwt) on April 21. And two days later, the Majestic X/Phonix (281,500 dwt) and both remain under U.S. control.
that matters most
Get the latest maritime news delivered to your inbox daily.
The report did not provide details or what the U.S. has done with the two tankers, but both were laden when they were stopped, and the Trump administration might be seeking the oil. It used a similar tactic with at least one tanker, Skipper, which it seized in December 2025 during the blockade of Venezuela.
Iran continues to demand the return of its vessels and their crews, citing humanitarian reasons. The same report, however, makes no mention of the crews of the two containerships, MSC Francesca and Epaminondas, that Iran is holding. The International Maritime Organization further reports that at least 10 seafarers were killed as a result of the attacks by Iran since the start of the war. It lists 29 attacks on commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf and around the Strait of Hormuz. It estimates that around 20,000 seafarers remain aboard approximately 1,600 ships that are stuck in the Gulf region.