On Saturday, Iran officially announced that its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized a tanker carrying petrochemical goods to Singapore in the Persian Gulf waters. According to Reuters, the tanker was detained on suspicion of violations.
Iranian state television released a statement from the IRGC asserting that the “tanker violated regulations by transporting unauthorized cargo.” No further details regarding the alleged violations were provided.
Sources indicate that the tanker ‘Talara,’ flying the Marshall Islands flag, was operating near the coast of the United Arab Emirates and was transporting high-sulfur gas oil from the UAE to Singapore.
Columbia Shipmanagement, the company managing the vessel, reported losing contact with ‘Talara’ on Friday morning, approximately 20 nautical miles off the coast of Hor-Fakkan in the UAE. They added that they are closely working with relevant parties to re-establish communication.
The vessel is owned by the Cypriot company Pasha Finance.
U.S. military officials stated they are aware of the incident and are actively monitoring the situation.
While the IRGC has periodically seized commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf, often citing maritime law violations, this incident was unexpected, as Iran had not conducted similar operations in recent months. Following a 12-day bombing campaign by Israel in June, Iran has limited its military activities in the region. The last recorded vessel seizure occurred in April 2024.