Iran confirms seizure of oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz

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TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran on Saturday confirmed seizure of a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker as it traveled through the narrow Strait of Hormuz over violations including carrying an illegal consignment, state media reported.

A report by the official Irna news agency carried a statement by the Revolutionary Guard that said the tanker was taken to Iranian waters. It did not elaborate on the “illegal consignment," the crew or say where the ship was now heading.

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

The seizure happened on Friday. Tehran has been increasingly warning it could strike back after a 12-day war with Israel in June that saw the U.S. strike Iranian nuclear sites.

It said the ship had been en route to Singapore when Iranian forces intercepted. A private security firm, Ambrey, described the assault as involving three small boats.

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

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center separately acknowledged the incident, saying a possible “state activity” forced the Talara to turn 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 sulphur gasoil. It did not immediately provide any update on Saturday.

Iran has been blamed for a series of limpet mine attacks on vessels that damaged tankers in 2019, as well as for a drone attack on an Israeli-linked oil tanker that killed two European crew members in 2021. Those attacks began after U.S. President Donald Trump in his first term in office unilaterally withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

In 2022, Iran took 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, exploded into a full-scale 12-day war in June.

Tehran has long threatened to close off the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all traded oil passes. The U.S. Navy has long patrolled the Mideast through its Bahrain-based 5th Fleet to keep the waterways open.