Sanctioned tankers disguised as Iraqi vessels are moving hundreds of millions of dollars in Iranian crude as President Donald Trump doubled down on the port blockade to squeeze Tehran’s oil lifeline, according to maritime intelligence.

Windward AI claimed Wednesday that a group of U.S.-sanctioned tankers are falsifying their location data to come off as anchored off Iraq while secretly loading Iranian oil at Iranian ports.

“Among the tankers spoofing their location in the area identified by Windward are four VLCCs (very large crude carriers): Alicia (IMO 9281695), RHN (IMO 9208215), Star Forest (9237632) and Aqua (IMO 9248473), using various flags, including fraudulent registries from Curacao and Malawi,” the firm told Fox News Digital.

“For the four VLCCs, each VLCC can hold about 2 million barrels, so four of them would hold 8 million barrels worth about $800 million at $100 per barrel,” Windward said.

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This came as Trump said Wednesday he will keep Iran under a naval blockade until it agrees to a deal addressing U.S. concerns about its nuclear program.

The U.S. administration has demanded that Iran dismantle its uranium enrichment program, while Tehran maintains that enrichment is a sovereign right and nonnegotiable, leaving little room for compromise.

Windward AI noted a “cluster” of sanctioned tankers spoofing locations and seen to the West of the Strait of Hormuz.

“A cluster of 10 Iran-trading, U.S.-sanctioned tankers is now spoofing its AIS location to falsely appear at anchorages off Basrah, Iraq, as the blockade continues to constrict Iranian ports,” Windward explained.

“The vessels identified by Windward Multi-Source Intelligence are manipulating their signals to create a digital alibi,” the intelligence firm claimed.

“By broadcasting fake destination messages to Iraqi ports, the tankers appear to be in Iraqi waters while covertly sailing to Iran to load sanctioned oil.

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“Once loaded, the vessels re-emerge on AIS to suggest a legitimate Iraqi origin for the cargo.”

The U.S. blockade on Iranian ports began April 13 as part of a broader effort to pressure Iran into renegotiating limits on its nuclear program.

The blockade has unfolded in stages, starting with naval deployments and restricted maritime enforcement to limit Iran’s oil exports and economic activity.

Windward said more than two dozen tankers are confined west of Hormuz as of Wednesday, with the blockade cutting Iranian oil loadings and exports by more than half.

“This deceptive practice is under intensified scrutiny as the vessels are part of a larger group of more than two dozen tankers currently confined west of Hormuz,” the firm said.

“The handysize tanker Paola and Long Range One tanker Adena, both signaling ‘Iraqi owner’ but linked to a sanctioned network.”

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The firm claimed three medium-range tankers, including Aqualis, Kush and Charminar, and the LPG carrier Royal H (IMO 9155341), which was newly sanctioned in February, are displaying “erratic voyage trails to suggest a loading at the Iraqi port of Khor Al Zubair.”

“The tell-tale spoofing signs, including erratic patterns and fake port signals, highlight the shifting tactics used by the dark fleet as the blockade more than halves Iranian oil loadings and exports,” the firm said.

Meanwhile. Iran’s Mohammad Ghalibaf slammed U.S. policymakers Wednesday, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, over the impact of the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.

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The parliamentary speaker cited “junk advice” and blamed the Treasury for pushing up oil prices.

“Three days in, no well exploded,” Ghalibaf said in a post shared on X.

Two people were stabbed in north London on Wednesday in an attack that police have now formally declared a terrorist incident, prompting a major emergency response and an ongoing counterterrorism investigation.

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, the Metropolitan Police’s counterterrorism chief, said the attack has been officially classified as terrorism as investigators work to determine the motive and whether the Jewish community was deliberately targeted.

Officers were called to Highfield Avenue in the Barnet borough at about 11:16 a.m. following reports of multiple stabbings, according to the Metropolitan Police. Local and armed officers responded alongside the London Ambulance Service.

A 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in custody, police said. Authorities are working to determine his nationality and background.

Two men, ages 76 and 34, were treated at the scene for stab wounds before being taken to a hospital, where they remain and are “being looked after,” Taylor said.

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Police said the suspect also attacked responding officers before he was subdued with a Taser. No officers were injured.

Counterterrorism officers are leading the investigation, working with security services to establish the full circumstances and develop a complete intelligence picture, Taylor said.

“Whilst I must stress this investigation is at an early stage, we are working quickly to understand exactly what happened,” Counter Terrorism Policing head Laurence Taylor said.

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The stabbing unfolded in the Barnet area, near Golders Green, which is known for its large Jewish community. Authorities have indicated the case is being treated as a potentially antisemitic incident, though motive has not been confirmed.

The stabbing unfolded in the Barnet area, near Golders Green, which is known for its large Jewish community, and police said one line of inquiry is whether the attack deliberately targeted London’s Jewish community, though a motive has not been confirmed.

A statement posted on X by Shomrim, a volunteer neighborhood watch group in Orthodox Jewish communities, said a man was seen “armed with a knife” on Golders Green Road and was detained by members before police arrived. The group claimed the suspect attempted to target Jewish members of the public — a detail police have not independently confirmed.

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Shomrim said two victims were treated by Hatzola, a volunteer emergency medical service.

Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams said officers “swiftly Tasered and arrested the suspect before he could cause further harm,” adding that investigators are “considering all possible motives” and will maintain a visible police presence in the area.

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Williams said police are “aware of the significant distress and concern this incident is likely to cause,” and will remain in the area to carry out inquiries and reassure residents.

The attack comes amid heightened concern over antisemitic incidents across the United Kingdom. Authorities are examining recent incidents in London but have not established any direct connection.

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the violence, calling attacks on Jewish residents “an attack on Britain,” while London Mayor Sadiq Khan said there is “no place for antisemitism” in the city.

Conservative MP Kemi Badenoch said, “Jewish people in our country are under constant attack. This is no longer a growing pattern. There is an epidemic of violence against Jewish people. It is now a national emergency and needs to be treated as such by the Government and public authorities.”

Dov Forman, a Golders Green resident and Holocaust educator, described the attack as part of what he sees as a broader and deeply concerning trend.

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“Yet again, terror has been brought to our doorstep here in Golders Green, in the heart of London’s Jewish community,” Forman said. “Earlier today, two visibly Jewish men were stabbed in what is being described as an antisemitic attack. For many, this is not being seen as an isolated act of violence, but as part of a broader and deeply troubling pattern. There is growing concern that extemist rhetoric and Islamist extremism, including calls to ‘globalize the intifada,’ has helped fuel an environment in which hatred against Jews is increasingly normalized, unchecked, and dangerously emboldened.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was “horrified by yet another violent attack on Jews in broad daylight on the streets of London” and called for urgent action.

“No Jew anywhere in the world should be a target because of their faith,” Herzog said, adding that authorities must act “before the next antisemitic attack occurs.”

Authorities urged anyone with information to contact police as the investigation continues.

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The number of antisemitic incidents reported across the U.K. has soared since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel and the subsequent Gaza war, according to the Community Security Trust. The group recorded 3,700 incidents in 2025, up from 1,662 in 2022.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Published on 29/04/2026 – 14:28 GMT+2•Updated
15:31

Two people were stabbed in north London on Wednesday, Jewish groups said, following a series of arson attacks targeting Jewish sites in the area, as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident “deeply concerning.”

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A man was arrested after he was seen running with a knife “attempting to stab Jewish members of the public,” the Shomrim Jewish neighbourhood watch said on social media.

It added that two people were stabbed and were being treated by Hatzola, a Jewish volunteer ambulance service.

The incident happened in Golders Green, a part of London that is home to a large Jewish community.

“There has been a knife attack today in Golders Green. The suspect has been arrested,” the Community Security Trust added on X.

“We are working closely with the police and urge anyone with information to contact the police, Shomrim and CST immediately,” said the charity, which provides safety advice and security to Jewish groups and buildings such as synagogues.

Starmer told lawmakers in parliament that a police investigation was underway and “we all need to…be absolutely clear in our determination to deal with any of these offences, the like of which we have seen too much recently”.

London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan condemned the attack and confirmed that police had arrested someone.

“There has been an appalling attack on two Jewish Londoners in Golders Green. The police have made an arrest and I’d like to thank all the emergency services and heroic volunteers…for their swift response,” Khan said in a post on X.

“London’s Jewish community have been the target of a series of shocking antisemitic attacks. There must be absolutely no place for antisemitism in society.”

The incident comes in the wake of a spate of arson attacks on synagogues and community sites in north London in recent weeks.

The first attack in late March saw four ambulances belonging to the Hatzola charity set ablaze.

Other incidents have followed, including an attack on the Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow as well as the premises of a Jewish charity.

Last week, the Finchley Reform Synagogue was targeted.

Police have arrested 26 people for the various attacks, launched since the start of the US-Iran war on Iran on 28 February.

Many of the incidents have been claimed by a little-known group, believed to be linked to Iran, called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), meaning The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand.

Israel’s foreign ministry urged the UK government to take swift action against antisemitism after the stabbings.

“After attacks on synagogues, Jewish institutions, community ambulances and now Jews targeted in Golders Green, the UK government can no longer claim this is under control,” the ministry wrote on X.

“Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s statements are no substitute for confronting the roots of antisemitism festering across United Kingdom…Enough words. The UK must act decisively and urgently.”

Additional sources • AFP