Naval units of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday at 8:22 local time. This is the first seizure of a merchant ship by Iranian forces since the IRGC captured the MSC container ship. Aries April 13, 2024
A tanker flying the flag of the Marshall Islands became a victim of Iranian lawlessness Talara. As is typical for merchant ships, Talara sailed under a flag of convenience. It appears to be owned by a Cypriot holding company and managed by another Cyprus company. Owner of Pasha Finance, Inc. presumably is belonging from the family of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.
Talara took on a cargo of crude oil in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, bound for Singapore. IRGC troops boarded Talara from the three smaller ships that had followed him since he left port. The landing took place approximately 25 miles off the coast of the UAE. US Navy MQ-4C Triton a drone derived from the RQ-4 Global Hawk was seen circling Talara when the situation has unfolded. The captured ship was taken to Iranian waters. At the moment, no motive for the attack is known, other than that it happened on Friday and involved IRGC thugs.
The United States has entered into a “defense partnership” with the Marshall Islands under the Compact of Free Association (COFA), which includes cooperation in the areas of maritime security, defense, and training. This agreement does not cover the protection of Azerbaijani vessels operated and owned in Cyprus, nor the use of the Marshall Islands flag of convenience.
Iran has a history of attacking ships registered in the Marshall Islands, either for the purpose of piracy or to attack their Houthi proxies.
BACKGROUND:
Navy Hit More Houthi Targets as Joe Biden's Whack-a-Mole Strategy Continues – RedState
If the past is prologue Talars The crew would be released in a few weeks, but the ship was gone forever.
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