Iran confirms seizure of tanker with petrochemical cargo in Gulf

DUBAI (Reuters) -Iran confirmed on Saturday that its Revolutionary Guards had seized a tanker in Gulf waters carrying a cargo of petrochemicals bound for Singapore over alleged violations, Iranian state media reported.

A U.S. official and maritime security sources had said on Friday that 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) stating that “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 United Arab Emirates’ coast, maritime sources said, and was carrying a cargo of high-sulphur gasoil through the Indian Ocean en route to Singapore from Sharjah in the UAE.

The vessel’s manager Columbia Shipmanagement said it lost contact with the Talara Friday morning around 20 nautical miles off the coast of Khor Fakkan, UAE. It added that 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.

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, which was joined by the United States. Its last reported seizure of a vessel was in April 2024.

(dubai.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com; Editing by Louise Heavens and Joe Bavier)