Iranian forces seized a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, the first confirmed capture of a commercial vessel by Tehran since its June clashes with Israel and the United States, according to multiple governments and maritime agencies.
The Talara, sailing from the United Arab Emirates toward Singapore, broke from its course in the Gulf of Oman Friday after several small craft converged on the vessel, maritime security firms reported.
A US defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity said an American military drone tracked the takeover from overhead.
Flight-tracking data showed that a US Navy MQ-4C Triton drone had been circling above the area where the Talara was for hours on Friday, observing the seizure.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps acknowledged responsibility a day later.
State media carried an IRGC statement saying “the tanker was in violation for carrying unauthorized cargo.”
The reports from state media did not elaborate on the “illegal consignment” nor divulge any information about the state of the crew or where the ship was headed.
Cyprus-based Columbia Shipmanagement, which operates the Talara, said it lost contact with the tanker Friday morning near Khor Fakkan on the UAE coast.
The US Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet said it was “actively monitoring the situation.”
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center, which tracks incidents across Gulf shipping lanes, later urged nearby vessels “to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity.”
Tracking data showed the Talara carrying high-sulfur gasoil loaded at a UAE port before entering the strait, one of the world’s busiest energy corridors.
Roughly one-fifth of global oil shipments transit the narrow channel, giving Iran significant leverage during periods of confrontation.
Tehran has repeatedly warned it may respond to Western pressure by targeting commercial shipping, a tactic it used intermittently during past disputes.
Its last publicly acknowledged a seizure occurred in April 2024, when Iranian forces boarded a vessel linked to Israel during a separate regional flare-up.
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