Iran confirms seizure of oil tanker in Strait of Hormuz

Iran on Saturday confirmed the seizure of a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker while traveling through the Strait Strait of Hormuz for violations, including transporting an illegal shipment, state media reported.

A report by the official Irna news agency included a statement from the Revolutionary Guard that said the tanker was taken into Iranian waters. He did not elaborate on the “illegal shipment,” the crew or say where the ship was now headed.

He said the seizure occurred following a court order and that the operation was aimed at “protecting Iran’s national interests and resources.” He identified the tanker as the Talara and said it was carrying 30,000 tons of petrochemical products.

The seizure occurred on Friday. Tehran has increasingly been warning that it could strike back after a 12 day war with Israel In June, the United States attacked Iranian nuclear facilities.

He said the ship was heading to Singapore when Iranian forces intercepted it. A private security company, Ambrey, described the assault as involving three small boats.

A U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton drone had been hovering over the area where the Talara was located for hours on Friday, observing the seizure, flight tracking data analyzed by The News showed.

The British military’s UK Maritime Trade Operations center separately acknowledged the incident and said possible “state activity” forced Talara into Iranian territorial waters.

Cyprus-based Columbia Shipmanagement later said in a statement that it had “lost contact” with the tanker, which was carrying high-sulfur gas oil. He did not immediately provide any update on Saturday.

Iran has been blamed for a series of limpet mine attacks on ships oil tankers damaged in 2019as well as for a drone attack on an oil tanker linked to Israel that killed two European crew members in 2021. Those attacks began after US President Trump, in his first term, unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal with world powers.

In 2022, Iran seized two Greek tankers and held them until November of that year. Iran seized the Portuguese-flagged cargo ship MSC Aries in April 2024.

Years of tensions between Iran and the West, coupled with the situation in the Gaza Strip, erupted in June into a 12-day full-scale war.

Tehran has long threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all traded oil passes. The US Navy has long patrolled the Middle East through its Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet to keep waterways open.