In a dramatic escalation on March 10, Russia has launched an aggressive hunt for British naval forces after UK Royal Navy commandos seized 23 “ghost ships” — shadow fleet tankers suspected of smuggling Iranian oil and Russian weapons components to sustain Tehran’s collapsing regime.

The audacious operation occurred in the Arabian Sea as part of a joint Western effort to enforce a full maritime blockade under Operation Epic Fury. British forces boarded and captured the vessels in lightning-fast raids, discovering hidden cargo including advanced missile parts and millions of barrels of illicit Iranian crude. The ghost fleet, operating with disabled transponders, represented one of Russia and Iran’s last remaining lifelines for evading sanctions and resupplying their battered forces.