EPIC Video Shows U.S. Forces Taking Over Iranian-Linked Ship

Under the Trump administration, the American people have been able to see U.S. Forces doing what they do best.

On Thursday, the Pentagon released a video of U.S. forces rappelling down a helicopter and boarding a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean.

U.S. Forces boarded the tanker after receiving intel that the oil tanker was a stateless vessel that was carrying Iranian oil.

Watch the mission go down here:

Overnight, U.S. forces carried out a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel M/T Majestic X transporting oil from Iran, in the Indian Ocean within the INDOPACOM area of responsibility.

We will continue global maritime enforcement to… pic.twitter.com/SWF6Jt9Ci4

— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) April 23, 2026

Fox News provided context for the video:

The Pentagon released video Thursday showing U.S. forces carrying out “a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel M/T Majestic X transporting oil from Iran, in the Indian Ocean within the INDOPACOM area of responsibility.”

“We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate,” the Department of War said.

“International waters cannot be used as a shield by sanctioned actors. The Department of War will continue to deny illicit actors and their vessels freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain,” it added.

Ship-tracking data shows the oil tanker Majestic X in the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka and Indonesia — near where U.S. forces previously interdicted and boarded another stateless sanctioned tanker, the Tifani. The vessel had been headed for Zhoushan, China, according to The Associated Press.

The incident follows a sharp escalation just one day earlier, when Iran attacked three cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz and reportedly captured two of them — intensifying threats to a critical global shipping lane that carries about 20% of the world’s oil during peacetime.

The Majestic X, which sails under a Guyana flag, was formerly known as the Phonix and was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2024 for smuggling Iranian crude in violation of U.S. sanctions, the AP reported.

U.S. forces have directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to port as part of the U.S. blockade against Iran. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/lG5ACEt7LR

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 23, 2026

On Thursday, Trump issued a statement on Truth Social regarding the current state of Iran’s leadership:

Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is! They just don’t know! The infighting is between the “Hardliners,” who have been losing BADLY on the battlefield, and the “Moderates,” who are not very moderate at all (but gaining respect!), is CRAZY!

We have total control over the Strait of Hormuz. No ship can enter or leave without the approval of the United States Navy. It is “Sealed up Tight,” until such time as Iran is able to make a DEAL!!!

Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP

Take a look:

TRUMP: “Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is! They just don't know! The infighting is between the "Hardliners," who have been losing BADLY on the battlefield, and the "Moderates," who are not very moderate at all (but gaining respect!), is CRAZY! We… pic.twitter.com/ARXThPVRtm

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 23, 2026