A menacing ‘shadow fleet’ of Iranian-linked tanker ships is operating in the Caribbean, sparking alarm amid ongoing US military action in the region.
Despite a long history of brazenly transporting sanctioned Iranian oil, the vessels have been seen sailing just miles from the American coastline as President Trump continues his unrelenting bombardment of alleged drug boats.
A bombshell report obtained exclusively by the Daily Mail exposes a deep, clandestine network of 20 illicit tankers currently lurking in Caribbean waters, serving as a lifeline for the regimes of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro, Iran and Russia.
Some 11 ships have been directly linked to Iran’s oil trade, including the ‘Skipper’ and ‘Star Twinkle 6’, alongside nine others tied to Russian and Venezuelan operations, according to United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which has spent more than 12 years tracking these elusive vessels.
The stakes could not be higher. The Skipper’s revenues reportedly fund terrorist activity by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah, prop up hostile regimes and provide cut-price oil to China.
Jemima Shelley, Senior Research Analyst at UANI, has warned that this reality could lure Trump into a dangerous provocation with Iran, pointing to the strong ideological alliance forged between Maduro and the Ayatollah.
‘Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism and its illicit oil sales are the main source of funding for its global terrorist activities,’ Shelley told the Daily Mail.
‘The IRGC—a designated foreign terrorist organization—is not only using this oil revenue to revamp its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program, but also to actively plot terror on US soil, including against senior members of the US administration,’ she added.
The sheer scale of this operation was brought into sharp focus on Thursday with the dramatic seizure of the Skipper.
News of the interception broke after US Attorney General Pam Bondi released a 45-second video on X.
The footage captures the high-stakes raid: two helicopters swoop down over the vessel in open water, deploying armed agents in camouflage who rappel onto the deck to seize control.
The operation, carried out by the FBI, Homeland Security and the Coast Guard with US military support, marks a significant escalation. It is the first Venezuelan oil cargo seized since US sanctions were imposed in 2019.
While Iran-linked tankers are most often tracked in the Persian Gulf and Asia, the Skipper’s interception off the Venezuelan coast signals a dangerous geographical diversification.
These ‘Ghost Armadas’—clandestine fleets shared by Iran, Russia, and Venezuela—are no longer distant threats; they are at America’s doorstep – navigating waters dangerously close to the US.
Shelley told the Daily Mail that the seizure of the Skipper is just the tip of the iceberg, revealing new data on the massive revenue these ships generate.
‘At UANI, we have acquired data showing that there are at least 10 additional dark fleet vessels in the Caribbean with a similar history of transporting illicit Iranian oil,’ Shelley said. ‘In total, these 10 vessels have in the past carried over 29 million barrels of Iranian crude, generating approximately $1.8 billion for the Iranian regime.’
According to UANI leaders, the ships’ presence in the Caribbean highlights the highly coordinated and flexible operations of these dark fleets. The vessels are interchangeable assets in an illicit alliance between Tehran, Moscow, and Caracas.
‘The revenue made by Iran’s illicit oil trade and transported by the dark fleet serves as the primary funding source for the Iranian regimes’ nuclear program and global terrorist activities,’ Shelley explained, ‘as well as its efforts to assassinate US citizens, including on American soil.’
The geopolitical fallout has been immediate.
Iran’s embassy in Caracas condemned the raid on X, labeling it a ‘grave violation of international laws and norms.’
Meanwhile, the US has officially sanctioned the Skipper for its role in the Iranian oil trade and is reportedly planning further seizures as part of an intensifying pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro’s government.
UANI leaders warn that this is only the beginning. Their comprehensive list of vessels provides a clear roadmap of potential targets—and with the US signaling its readiness to act, the hunt for the rest of the Ghost Armada is on.
A White House official tells Daily Mail, ‘President Trump has always been clear that the world’s number one state sponsor of terror can never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon or the capacity to build one. The Trump Administration is committed to cutting off funding for the Iranian regime’s development of nuclear weapons and support for terrorist proxies, and disrupting the regime’s revenue is critical to doing so.’
