ICYMI: U.S. Seizes Sanctions Busting Vessels Originally Identified by UANI

(New York, NY) – Reporting this week by The Wall Street Journal highlights the seizure of the Iranian-flagged container ship TOUSKA (IMO 9328900)—a vessel previously identified by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) as part of Tehran’s sanctions-busting fleet.

 UANI experts Charlie Brown and Jemima Shelley flagged the TOUSKA weeks before its interception, tracking its links to a network moving sensitive cargo between Iran and China, including materials tied to Iran’s missile program.

 As UANI’s Charlie Brown told the Journal: “It must have been worth the risk to try to run the blockade, but they chose poorly.”

 This week, the U.S. Department of War conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding of the stateless OFAC-sanctioned TIFANI (IMO 9273337) without incident. After loading 1.8 million barrels of Iranian crude from Kharg Island on April 6, the supertanker was interdicted by U.S. naval forces on the high seas between Sri Lanka and Indonesia. In total, TIFANI has transported over 33 million barrels of Iranian crude.

 TIFANI was added to OFAC’s sanctions list following a CBS special investigative broadcast program with UANI in July 2025. Prior to this, TIFANI was listed on UANI’s Ghost Armada in November 2020 for its role in Iran’s oil trade.

 The seizure and interdiction underscore the value of UANI’s investigative work in exposing illicit Iranian shipping—and the risks these networks pose to global security.

 Read more about UANI’s Tanker Tracking Program here.