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Jesse Watters

The Iranian shadow tanker Majestic X was loaded with two million barrels of Iranian crude when seized by U.S. Marines in the Indian Ocean.

In their words

"Overnight U.S. forces carried out another maritime seizure of an Iranian shadow tanker, the Majestic X. She was loaded up with two million barrels of Iranian crude and our Marines boarded her in the Indian Ocean."

Mostly True
Confidence
MEDIUM
Sources
6
Correction Found
No
Reviewer Agreement
Yes

The core facts are well-confirmed: the Majestic X is a real vessel, it was boarded by U.S. forces in the Indian Ocean overnight April 22–23, 2026, and it was carrying Iranian crude oil en route to China. These elements are supported by Pentagon statements and multiple independent outlets. However, the specific claim that the vessel was 'loaded with two million barrels' contains an identifiable inaccuracy: the 2 million barrel figure describes the ship's rated VLCC capacity, not its confirmed cargo load at seizure. Kpler tracking data cited by Argus Media reports the vessel had loaded 1.88 million barrels from Iran's Jask terminal , and the U.S. Attorney's seizure warrant statement puts the figure at 'approximately 1.9 million barrels' ; neither source confirms the full 2 million barrel capacity was aboard. This inaccuracy does not reverse the directional meaning of the claim — the vessel was laden with approximately 1.88–1.9 million barrels of Iranian crude, a figure only modestly below the stated 2 million — so the claim remains substantially correct (per MOSTLY_TRUE boundary test: the core assertion is directionally intact with an identifiable inaccuracy). The secondary element — 'U.S. Marines' — is unconfirmed for this specific vessel; official language uses 'U.S. forces' and 'rotary wing assets' for the Majestic X, while Marines are confirmed by name only for the prior Touska operation . This is a minor, non-dispositive attribution imprecision. Taken together, these two identifiable inaccuracies (cargo figure and boarding personnel identification) prevent a TRUE verdict but do not reverse the core claim, warranting MOSTLY_TRUE. Verdict confidence is MEDIUM due to the active-military domain constraint and single-institutional sourcing for official cargo data.