The oil tanker involved in the incident off the coast of the United Arab Emirates has been detained by Iran. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard announced this on Saturday.
The ship “Talara” carrying 30,000 tons of petrochemical products was seized on Friday morning on the instructions of judicial authorities and directed to the port of Makran in the Persian Gulf to investigate possible violations, the Revolutionary Guards said.
The action was taken within the framework of “legal duties and to protect national interests”. What exactly is meant by this is not stated. Further details will be announced once the cargo is inspected and the tanker inspected, said a statement on the Revolutionary Guards’ Sepah News website.
What is known so far
There was an incident off the coast of the United Arab Emirates on Friday with an oil tanker suddenly changing course Iran already changed. According to UKMTO, an information service operated by the British Royal Navy, the incident can be classified as a “state activity”. After the incident, the management company responsible for the tanker announced that they had lost contact with “Talara”.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has repeatedly detained foreign tankers in the Strait of Hormuz in the past. Sometimes political motives also play a role. In 2021, Tehran used the seizure of a South Korean tanker as a tool to force the release of billions of dollars frozen in Seoul.
Since Israel’s attack in June, Iran has also repeatedly threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz – a move that would have a major impact on international oil trade.
