Indian Coast Guard: Monsoon Storm

India's Coast Guard announced that during a seasonal storm, three oil tankers detained in connection with the Islamic Republic and anchored in waters west of Mumbai broke loose from their moorings, prompting the initiation of rescue operations. One of these vessels, named "Al Jazeera," ran aground after its crew had previously abandoned the ship. These three tankers—"Stellar Ruby," "Asphalt Star," and "Al Jazeera"—have been detained in India since February of this year on charges of participating in the illegal transfer of Iranian bitumen and conducting ship-to-ship cargo transfers. Indian authorities stated that these vessels had been switching off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) to avoid detection by regulatory authorities. The cases of these ships remain under investigation. All three vessels are on the U.S. sanctions list, and an Indian court had previously issued an order permitting several crew members to return to their respective countries.