Iran confirmed on Saturday its Revolutionary Guards had seized a tanker in Gulf waters that was carrying a cargo of petrochemicals bound for Singapore over alleged violations, according to Iranian state media.
On Friday, a U.S. official and maritime security sources said Iranian forces intercepted the oil products tanker and diverted it into Iranian territorial waters.
It was the first report of Tehran seizing a tanker since Israeli-U.S. strikes on Iran in June.
Iranian state-run television read a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) saying “the tanker was in violation for carrying unauthorized cargo.” It did not provide further details of the alleged violations.
The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, the Talara, had been sailing off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), maritime sources said, and was carrying a cargo of high-sulfur gas oil through the Indian Ocean en route to Singapore from Sharjah in the U.A.E.
The vessel’s manager, Columbia Shipmanagement, said it lost contact with the Talara on Friday morning around 20 nautical miles (around 37 kilometres) off the coast of Khor Fakkan, U.A.E. It added it was working closely with relevant parties, including maritime security agencies and the vessel’s owner, to restore contact.
The ship is owned by Cyprus-based Pasha Finance.
Iran last seized a vessel in 2024
In a statement, the U.S. military said it was aware of the incident and was actively monitoring the situation.
Iran’s IRGC has periodically seized commercial vessels in Gulf waters in recent years, often citing maritime violations such as alleged smuggling, technical infractions or legal disputes.
However, the U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the incident was surprising since Iran had not carried out any such operations in recent months.
Iran has curbed its military activities in the region since the 12-day Israeli bombing campaign in June that was joined by the United States. Its last reported seizure of a vessel was in April 2024.
