US forces will pursue ships linked to Iran well beyond the Middle East, including in the Indo-Pacific, CNN reported, quoting the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
General Dan Caine said the effort includes “maritime interdiction actions” in the Pacific area of responsibility, targeting vessels that left before the blockade began.
“We are also conducting similar maritime interdiction actions and activities in the Pacific AOR against those ships that left that area before we began the blockade,” he added.
Shipping analysts say areas around the Strait of Malacca host large numbers of “dark fleet” tankers used to move sanctioned oil, including from Iran.