The IRGC Navy said in a statement the Talara was carrying 30,000 tons of petrochemicals and had been monitoring it after a court ordered the ship's seizure on Friday morning, according to IRNA, Iran's official government news agency.
The "unauthorized cargo" -- high-sulphur gas oil, which is used to fuel ships and other marine vessels -- led three small surface vessels to intercept the Talara has it sailed south through the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera and the BBC reported.
"This operation was carried out successfully in accordance with legal duties and for the purpose of safeguarding the national interests and resources of the Islamic Republic of Iran and under the orders of judicial authorities," the IRGC Navy said.
Talara's Cyprus-based owner, Columbia Shipmanagement Ltd. operates the tanker, and its cargo and that it has lost contact with the vessel, according to Al Jazeera.
U.S. Central Command officials on Friday said they are aware of the ship's seizure and are "actively monitoring" the matter, the New York Times reported.
"Commercial vessels are entitled to largely unimpeded rights of navigation," the Central Command officials added.
Iran has seized other tankers while often accusing them of carrying illicit cargo, intruding in Iranian waters or in retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian vessel.
Iranian officials have threatened to close shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which is a narrow strait extending for 90 miles and connecting the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf.
A fourth of the world's oil and a fifth of its liquefied natural gas are shipped through the waterway.
The U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet patrols the area to help protect commercial shipping.
Iran likely seized oil tanker off UAE: security firms
Dubai (AFP) Nov 14, 2025 -
Iran likely seized an oil tanker that suddenly changed course towards the country's waters Friday, two security companies said, stoking concern that Tehran has resumed maritime captures after a lull.
The ship, which had left Ajman in the United Arab Emirates destined for Singapore, was heading for Iranian waters.
Ellie Shafik of Vanguard Tech told AFP the Talara had been intercepted by Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and detained.
"It's unclear why," she said. "Iran will likely frame this as a judicially ordered, law-based action, masking what may just be a strategic seizure."
Iran has so far not commented on the incident.
The US Navy said it was "actively monitoring the situation".
"Commercial vessels are entitled to largely unimpeded rights of navigation and commerce on the high seas," said the US 5th Fleet, which patrols the region.
The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel was heading south through the Strait of Hormuz when it was approached by three small boats, maritime security company Ambrey said, adding it had made a "sudden course deviation".
Maritime Security company Neptune P2P Group said the vessel had been seized by "suspected Iranian forces".
"The incident appears to be the latest in a series of illegal ship seizures transiting the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman in recent years, but it is the first since the seizure of the commercial ship MSC ARIES in April 2024," it said in a note.
"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy are usually responsible for such incidents and has been known to use such activity to apply political pressure in the region," it added.
The British Royal Navy-run UKMTO, meanwhile, said the incident was "believed to be state activity".
The Strait of Hormuz, a major conduit for global oil and liquefied natural gas, has previously been the scene of similar incidents.
Last year, Iran's Revolutionary Guard seized a container ship, saying it had links to Israel, following a deadly attack on Iran's consulate in Syria blamed on Israel.
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