Close, but the two facts sit side-by-side rather than in a direct chain of events. Seamull (SIBU 1) is an OFAC-designated tanker linked to Iran’s shadow fleet for carrying Iranian petroleum products. On August 20, UKMTO and JMIC confirmed it was boarded by six armed persons in the Gulf of Aden and redirected toward Somalia. There is no confirmation that this particular vessel had just run the U.S. blockade. CENTCOM’s blockade targets traffic entering or leaving Iranian ports. Commercial tracking showed Seamull listing Port Sudan and entering the Somalia High Risk Area the day before the boarding.

A small, local tsunami occurred within an hour after the earthquake, consistent with a shallow reverse-fault event in the Flores Sea. No reports of major destructive inundation or widespread coastal flooding so far.