{"id":2657375,"date":"2026-09-10T08:09:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T12:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignwhy-were-iranian-tankers-struck-by-us-registered-in-random-african-countries\/"},"modified":"2026-09-10T08:13:34","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T12:13:34","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignwhy-were-iranian-tankers-struck-by-us-registered-in-random-african-countries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignwhy-were-iranian-tankers-struck-by-us-registered-in-random-african-countries\/","title":{"rendered":"Iranian Tankers Struck By US Were Registered In Random Countries"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignwhy-were-iranian-tankers-struck-by-us-registered-in-random-african-countries%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2657375&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it destroyed five iranian crude oil tankers for targeting a U.S. Navy warship, with four of these ships reportedly sailing under flags of African or island nations, possibly indicating false flag operations. The ships named are M\/T Kaviz, M\/T Charminar, M\/T Horizon 1, M\/T Riesco, and M\/T Derya. The Riesco was identified as sailing under the Zimbabwe flag, despite Zimbabwe lacking a navy or registered ships, suggesting misuse of flags of convenience.The other ships were flagged under comoros, Palau, and appear to be part of a shadow network using false or questionable registrations to evade international sanctions. These <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >practices facilitate illicit activities<\/a> like sanction evasion and clandestine shipping for countries such as Russia, Iran, and North Korea, undermining Western efforts to enforce sanctions. The article discusses how flag of convenience systems and shadow fleets operate on the high seas or near coastlines to avoid detection, weakening global maritime security and oversight.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.centcom.mil\/MEDIA\/PUBLIC-RELEASES\/Article\/4593050\/us-destroys-5-irgc-tankers-after-iran-targets-another-american-warship\/\">U.S. Department of War \/ CENTCOM<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/10\/why-were-iranian-tankers-struck-by-us-registered-in-random-african-countries\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Why Were Iranian Tankers Struck By US Registered In Random African Countries?&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/10\/why-were-iranian-tankers-struck-by-us-registered-in-random-african-countries\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Why Were Iranian Tankers Struck By US Registered In Random African Countries?&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/10\/why-were-iranian-tankers-struck-by-us-registered-in-random-african-countries\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/10\/why-were-iranian-tankers-struck-by-us-registered-in-random-african-countries\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Why Were Iranian Tankers Struck By US Registered In Random African Countries?&#038;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/09\/10\/why-were-iranian-tankers-struck-by-us-registered-in-random-african-countries\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\">                     <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); pfTrackEvent(&#039;Why Were Iranian Tankers Struck By US Registered In Random African Countries?&#039;); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &#038; Email\">                     <span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span>                     <\/a>                 <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div class=\"pf-content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Tuesday it destroyed five Iranian crude oil vessels in retaliation for targeting a U.S. Navy warship, but notably, four of the ships appear to have been sailing under the flags of random African and small island nations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIran has used the tankers as part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-admin-shows-iran-what-real-power-looks-like-responds-to-attack-by-annihilating-3-oil-tankers\/\" title=\"Trump Admin Shows Iran What Real Power Looks Like: Responds to Attack By Annihilating 3 Oil ...\">multibillion-dollar shadow network<\/a> that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies,\u201d a CENTCOM <a href=\"https:\/\/www.centcom.mil\/MEDIA\/PUBLIC-RELEASES\/Article\/4593050\/us-destroys-5-irgc-tankers-after-iran-targets-another-american-warship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dispatch<\/a> reads, announcing the names of the ships: M\/T Kaviz, M\/T Charminar, M\/T Horizon 1, and M\/T Riesco, which were struck in the Gulf of Oman, and M\/T Derya, which was struck near Kharg Island.<\/p>\n<div id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-837796117\" class=\"d-flex justify-content-center fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 fdrlst__b89e9-entity-placement\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Public marine tracker websites indicate the first four ships were sailing under the flags of Comoros, Palau, and Zimbabwe, while the Derya <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vesselfinder.com\/vessels\/details\/9569700\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">appears<\/a> to have been sailing under the Iranian flag.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to sites like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinetraffic.com\/en\/ais\/details\/ships\/shipid:755949\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MarineTraffic<\/a> and VesselFinder, the Riesco was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vesselfinder.com\/vessels\/details\/9251822\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sailing<\/a> under the flag of Zimbabwe, which is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that does not even have its own navy. <a href=\"https:\/\/maritime-executive.com\/article\/madagascar-and-landlocked-zimbabwe-warn-imo-of-false-flags\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">According<\/a> to an article published in February in The Maritime Executive, Zimbabwe has zero legally registered ships and does not even have a maritime authority, but has been the subject of false flag operations in the past.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vesselfinder.com\/vessels\/details\/9318022\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Charminar<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vesselfinder.com\/vessels\/details\/9282041\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kaviz<\/a> were both sailing under the flag of Comoros, a small archipelagic country in southeast Africa. <a href=\"https:\/\/africa.businessinsider.com\/local\/lifestyle\/russia-is-quietly-carrying-out-a-disguised-operation-under-africas-cover-worth\/8p2jg51\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">According<\/a> to Business Insider Africa, Comoros is a popular country in which oil tankers affiliated with Russia will claim registration to avoid international sanctions. It <a href=\"https:\/\/maritimescrimes.com\/2025\/10\/07\/comoros-how-its-maritime-flag-fuels-russias-shadow-fleet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reportedly<\/a> has one of the fastest-growing fleets in the world, which expanded by more than 270 percent since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. The United States, United Kingdom, and European Union blacklisted 110 ships flying the Comorian flag last year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis <em>flag of convenience<\/em> system enables vessels to change identity, name, and flag repeatedly, a practice known as \u2018going dark,\u2019 which obstructs international monitoring,\u201d the website Maritimes Crimes <a href=\"https:\/\/maritimescrimes.com\/2025\/10\/07\/comoros-how-its-maritime-flag-fuels-russias-shadow-fleet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The tanker Horizon 1 was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vesselfinder.com\/vessels\/details\/9130456\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">flagged<\/a> in Palau, a small country in Micronesia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As of 2024, Palau had one of \u201cthe fastest-growing shipping registries flagging shadow vessels,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2026-02-21\/pacific-islands-flags-of-convenience-shadow-vessels\/106357172\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according<\/a> to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The country has reportedly deregistered some such vessels and claims it \u201cscreen[s] vessels against known sanctions lists.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Canada\u2019s Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI), China, which is not sanctioned in the same way, has <a href=\"https:\/\/macdonaldlaurier.ca\/inside-chinas-shadow-fleet-sanctions-evasion-surveillance-sabotage-and-illegal-fishing-clare-mckendry-adam-macdonald-and-kurtis-h-simpson-for-inside-policy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gotten<\/a> into the same game, but from the other side: It facilitates trade among heavily sanctioned countries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The arrangement has allowed countries like Russia, Iran, and North Korea to get products to market through both transportation and payment networks, which, MLI says, allow China major influence over those countries, as well as weakening the effectiveness of Western sanctions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cShadow fleets operate on the edges of a coastal state\u2019s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), or on the high seas, to avoid apprehension by law enforcement,\u201d MLI states. \u201cThis creates a parallel maritime system of purposeful sanction evasion, theft, clandestine offloading, and other\u00a0harmful activities\u00a0that exploit flaws in existing oversight legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Breccan F. Thies is the White House correspondent for The Federalist. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. As an investigative journalist, he previously covered education and culture issues for the Washington Examiner and Breitbart News. He holds a degree from the University of Virginia and is a 2022 Claremont Institute Publius Fellow. You can follow him on X: @BreccanFThies.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Breccan F. Thies<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BreccanFThies\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@BreccanFThies<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/breccan-thies\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags no-print bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/centcom\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">CENTCOM<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/china\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">China<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/iran\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Iran<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/iran-war\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Iran War<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/oil-tanker\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">oil tanker<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/russia\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Russia<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/shadow-fleet\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">shadow fleet<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/strait-of-hormuz\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Strait of Hormuz<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/u-s-navy\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">U.S. Navy<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CENTCOM destroys 5 Iranian oil ships, 4 under false flags<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":2657376,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-09-160059.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[42102,85422,79337,38830,36614],"class_list":["post-2657375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-geopolitical-tensions","tag-international-shipping","tag-iranian-tankers","tag-maritime-security","tag-us-sanctions"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-09-160059.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2657375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2657375"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2657375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2657379,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2657375\/revisions\/2657379"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2657376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2657375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2657375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2657375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}