US boards ship carrying Iran oil as Trump threatens mine-laying boats in International Shipping News 24/04/2026 US Department of Defense A grey military helicopter hovers on top of a oil tanker, a soldier sliding down a rope towards the top deck as another uniformed soldier waits. The deck is lined with oil transportation equipment, including green pipesUS Department of Defense The US says its forces have boarded a sanctioned ship carrying Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean in the country’s latest naval move against Iran. The US Department of Defence (DoD) said in a statement it had carried out a “maritime interdiction” – the interception or inspection of a vessel by a navy on ships suspected to be hostile or in violation of the law – on the M/T Majestic X. The US has intercepted multiple ships after imposing a blockade on maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports on 13 April. The latest interception comes as President Donald Trump ordered the US Navy to “shoot and kill” any boat laying mines in the critical shipping channel the Strait of Hormuz. Under the blockade, US Central Command (Centcom) said it has ordered 33 vessels to return to port, and the DoD has said it will continue to stop ships suspected of “providing material support to Iran – anywhere they operate”. Iran described one US ship interception earlier this week as “piracy”. Trump has been hoping to put pressure on Tehran by targeting the country’s oil revenues and tolls Tehran said it has collected from ships in order to navigate freely through the strait. Speaking at a White House event on Thursday, he said the blockade was “100% effective” and Iran is “getting no business”. Trump also claimed to have rejected an offer from Iran to reopen the strait three days ago, saying that “it will open when we make a deal”. Hamidreza Haji Bababei, the deputy speaker of the Iranian Parliament, on Thursday claimed the first revenues collected from tolls imposed on ships using the vital waterway had been deposited with the country’s Central Bank. No further detail has been provided on the amount of the toll, the method of collection nor who paid it. The BBC could not independently verify this claim. The US has continued to impose its naval blockade despite Trump extending a two-week ceasefire at the request of mediator Pakistan. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led the first round of peace negotiations, has said it is “not possible” to reopen the strait due to the blockade and what it called other ceasefire violations. Map titled “US blockade of Iran’s Gulf coast” showing Iran’s southern coastline along the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman highlighted in red to indicate a blockade. Iranian territorial waters are shaded, with a caption stating “US blockade will affect all ships travelling to or from Iran’s Gulf coast” Ports and major jetties are marked with purple dots, including Kharg Island and Bandar Abbas. Surrounding seas are labeled, including the Arabian Sea, and a distance scale, source credit, and BBC logo are visible. Writing on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said US forces have “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz while claiming Iranians are “having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is”. A day earlier, Iran’s navy said it had seized two cargo ships in the strait and taken them to the country’s coast after reports that three vessels came under fire from Iranian forces. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-affiliated outlet Fars News Agenc