UANI Applauds President Trump for Directing the Department of War to Seize Iran Sanctioned Oil Tanker VERONICA III in the Indian Ocean

“No longer can ghost fleet tankers expect to sail with impunity in oceans far away. Now every ghost fleet Captain and crew should expect the arrival of U.S. forces landing on their tanker’s deck by helicopter, no matter the ocean in which they sail.”

(New York, NY) – United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) Chairman Governor Jeb Bush and CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace issued the following statement after the U.S. seizure of the supertanker MT VERONICA III (IMO 9326055) on February 15 in the Indian Ocean, and recent enforcement actions by India which resulted in the detention of three vessels evading U.S. sanctions on Iran:

“We applaud President Trump and the Department of War for this important seizure action in the Indian Ocean and the message it sends. The Department of War statement that “[i]nternational waters are not sanctuary. By land, air or sea, we will find you and deliver justice” is a clear warning that ghost fleet tankers cannot expect to sail with impunity in oceans far away. Now every ghost fleet Captain and crew should expect the arrival of U.S. forces landing on their tanker’s deck by helicopter, no matter the ocean in which they sail.

“The Department of War seized the OFAC‑sanctioned MT VERONICA III on February 15 in the Indian Ocean over 300 nautical miles of the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.  The MT VERONICA III is a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) that was laden with 1.9 million barrels of Venezuelan fuel and crude oil.  UANI has designated this stateless dark‑fleet vessel on its Ghost Armada list since November 2023 for its role in transporting Iranian oil. 

“Since 2023, MT VERONICA III has transported approximately 6.9 million barrels of Iranian crude oil, generating more than $500 million in revenue for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). These funds enable the IRGC to advance its nuclear, missile, and drone programs, fuel regional destabilization, and sustain its brutal domestic suppressive apparatus. OFAC later sanctioned MT VERONICA III in December 2024 for smuggling Iranian crude on behalf of sanctioned entities, including the National Iranian Oil Company and its commercial facilitators.

“After the seizure of the MT VERONICA III, only one oil‑laden tanker from the original 16 that broke through the U.S. Navy blockade last month remains at large, the OFAC-sanctioned and UANI-listed MT BERTHA (IMO 9292163), last seen in the northern Atlantic Ocean on January 6. 

“UANI also commends India’s seizure of three OFAC-sanctioned, Iran‑linked tankers—STELLAR RUBY (IMO 9555199), ASPHALT STAR (IMO 9463528), and AL JAFZIA (IMO 9171498)—approximately 100 nautical miles off the coast of Mumbai earlier this month.  The U.S. sanctioned all three vessels in April 2025 and UANI previously had listed the three vessels on its Ghost Armada. India followed the seizures with enhanced maritime surveillance efforts to prevent India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from being misused by illicit oil networks for ship-to-ship transfers and other covert activities.

“UANI urges coastal and flag states, port authorities, and maritime industry actors to follow India’s example by intensifying monitoring, denying services to high‑risk vessels, and rigorously enforcing existing U.S. and international sanctions so that Iran’s illicit oil trade is disrupted at every stage of the maritime supply chain.”