According to an analysis by the TankerTrackers website, most oil tankers sailing under Iran’s regime flag are, for the first time since 2018, transmitting their real signals through the Automatic Identification System (AIS) without falsifying their location. Iranian regime officials have not yet responded to this development.
On Tuesday, October 14, TankerTrackers cited data from two global ship-tracking information providers, reporting that most Iranian tankers are now normally active on the global positioning system and, unlike previous years, no longer hide their real locations.
Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers, told the Splash website that the timing of this development is quite interesting, as it comes after seven and a half years of widespread signal spoofing by the National Iranian Tanker Company’s fleet.
Iran’s Regime on The Brink of Economic Collapse as Oil Sanctions Close In
He added that this event does not appear to be the result of a remote cyberattack, as in most cases, the National Iranian Tanker Company’s vessels used to switch off their transponders rather than falsify their locations.
History of Hacking Incidents in Iran’s Maritime Communication Network
In August, a hacker group claimed it had disabled the communication network of more than 60 ships belonging to two major Iranian regime maritime companies, disrupting their communication with one another, with ports, and with the outside world.
The same group, which had previously exposed information about the Iranian regime’s cyber and military operations, stated that as a result of this operation, communications were cut off for 39 ships belonging to the National Iranian Tanker Company and 25 ships owned by Iran’s state-run shipping line.
In March 2025, the hacker group Lab Dookhtegan also announced that it had targeted the communication networks of 116 ships belonging to two major Iranian companies, severing their connections with each other, ports, and the outside world.
Oil Tankers and International Sanctions
In the first weeks of his second presidential term, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a new wave of oil sanctions against Iran, which have intensified in recent weeks. These sanctions target companies connected to the oil industry and Iran’s aging tanker fleet, which operate without Western insurance and transport oil for sanctioned countries.
On August 28, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany initiated a 30-day process to reinstate United Nations sanctions on Iran. Despite attempts by Tehran’s allies to pass resolutions delaying the reinstatement, the process ultimately led to the reimposition of sanctions against Iran’s regime.
Many of the Iranian regime’s sanctioned vessels, which operated in recent years as part of a “shadow fleet,” are now visible on tracking systems. However, investigations by Iran International show that the destinations of many of these ships remain unclear.
According to TankerTrackers data, at least 94 ships sailing under Iran’s flag in international waters are currently under U.S. sanctions, and 67 of them were added to U.N. sanctions lists following the activation of the snapback mechanism.
On October 7, Lebanon’s Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen network reported signs of U.S. preparations to intercept vessels linked to Iran’s regime, following the reinstatement of U.N. sanctions.
Unidentified sources told Al Mayadeen that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s army are “capable of neutralizing any threat” in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.
Citing the same sources, Al Mayadeen wrote that Iran’s regime has warned regional countries that any cooperation with the United States aimed at targeting or obstructing Iranian commercial vessels “will not go unanswered” and “will be met with a proportional response.”
