Iran attacks its own tanker under US and EU sanctions
Illustrative photo: Iran attacks its own tanker under US and EU sanctions (Getty Images)
Near the Musandam Peninsula in Oman, Iran attacked a tanker under US and EU sanctions for transporting Iranian oil. Four crew members were injured, according to Reuters.
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The Oman Maritime Security Center said the attack occurred after previous drone strikes in other parts of the Persian Gulf. The tanker was sailing under the Panamanian flag.
The agency notes that this is the first time targets in or near Oman have been hit following Tehran's wave of attacks on Persian Gulf countries after the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which have drawn the region into a new conflict.
The crew of the tanker Skylight, consisting of 20 people (15 Indian citizens and five Iranians), was evacuated after the attack.
Preliminary reports indicate that four crew members sustained injuries of varying severity.
The registered owner of Skylight is Sea Force Inc, and the vessel is managed by Red Sea Ship Management LLC.
In December 2025, the US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Red Sea Ship Management and Skylight, accusing the company and its owner of operating a shadow fleet to transport Iranian oil products in the Persian Gulf.
The ship-monitoring service Tankertrackers.com described Skylight as a small tanker mainly used for refueling other vessels, which had been anchored near the Musandam Peninsula since February 22.
Oman's Musandam Peninsula, which shares control of the Strait of Hormuz with Iran, is a vital strategic chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption passes.
It is worth noting that Iran announced yesterday it would block this strait.
Bloomberg monitoring data shows that some container ships have stopped or turned back while transiting the strait. Several international companies have already ordered their vessels to suspend passage.
Trump administration considered seizing Iranian tankers
Earlier reports indicated that officials in the administration of US President Donald Trump discussed the possibility of seizing tankers carrying Iranian oil.
Washington aimed to pressure Tehran over the nuclear deal but abandoned the plan due to the threat of retaliatory actions.
The US has already seized several Iranian oil tankers as part of a two-month blockade targeting vessels under sanctions and servicing Venezuela.
These tankers, part of the so-called shadow fleet, help transport illegal oil from multiple sanctioned countries to buyers, including China and others.
