President Trump says India will stop buying sanctioned Russian oil as part of trade deal, but data shows shadow fleet vessels unloading the crude at its ports.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy claimed to have seized two tankers in the Persian Gulf, claiming they carried over one million litres of smuggled fuel. Fifteen foreign crew members were detained as Tehran alleged the vessels were part of an organised smuggling network near Farsi Island.

The U.S. European Command confirmed the seizure of the Marinera, a Venezuela-linked oil tanker formerly known as Bella-1. It said the vessel was seized for violations of U.S. sanctions and pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro.

Iran faces rising logistical expenses—from ship-to-ship transfers to tanker reflagging—meaning it pays more just to sell each barrel.

Following the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and its subsequent takeover of the South American country’s oil industry, more Venezuelan crude is flowing to the US, leaving buyers in Asia looking elsewhere, analyst Maria Bertzeletou said.

From shadow fleets to fake flags, sanctioned oil continues to move across seas. Here's how ghost tankers bypass sanctions despite global crackdowns by India, the US and others

The ship’s seizure comes more than a week after it maneuvered through a US Navy blockade of sanctioned tankers leaving from a port in the South American country.