TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran on Saturday confirmed the seizure of a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker passing through the narrow Strait of Hormuz for violations including carrying an illicit cargo, state media reported.
The official Irna news agency carried a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps saying the tanker had been taken to Iranian waters. It did not specify any information about the “illegal cargo shipment,” nor the composition of the crew, nor information about where the ship is now heading.
The statement said the arrest was based on a court order and the operation was aimed at “protecting Iran's national interests and resources.” They identified the oil tanker as Talara and said it was carrying 30,000 tons of petrochemicals.
The seizure occurred on Friday. Tehran has increasingly warned it could retaliate following a 12-day war with Israel in June in which the United States launched strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
The report said the ship was heading to Singapore when it was intercepted by Iranian forces. Private security firm Ambrey said three small boats were involved in the attack.
On Friday, a U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton drone circled Talara's area for several hours to monitor the capture, flight tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed.
The United Kingdom's British Armed Forces Maritime Trade Operations Center separately acknowledged the incident, saying possible “state activity” forced the Talara to divert into Iranian territorial waters.
Cyprus-based Columbia Shipmanagement later said in a statement that it had “lost contact” with the tanker, which was carrying sour gasoil. There were no updates on Saturday.
Iran has been blamed for a series of mine attacks on ships that damaged tankers in 2019, as well as a drone attack on an Israeli-linked oil tanker that killed two European crew members in 2021. The attacks began after US President Donald Trump, in his first term in office, unilaterally withdrew from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
In 2022, Iran seized two Greek tankers and held them until November of that year. In April 2024, Iran seized the Portuguese-flagged cargo ship MSC Aries.
Years of tension between Iran and the West, coupled with the situation in the Gaza Strip, escalated into a full-scale 12-day war in June.
Tehran has long threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil trade passes. The US Navy has long patrolled the Middle East through its Bahrain-based 5th Fleet to keep waterways open.
