US, UK Allege Iran Seized Singapore-Bound Oil Tanker In Strait Of Hormuz

Last Updated:November 14, 2025, 20:05 IST

American and English officials alleged that Iranian troops seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker as it traveled through the narrow Strait of Hormuz.

US officials say Iranian forces diverted the Marshall Islands–flagged Talara into territorial waters as it sailed from Ajman to Singapore. (IMAGE: X/@sentdefender)

US officials alleged on Friday that Iran seized a Marshall Islands–flagged oil tanker as it traveled through the narrow Strait of Hormuz. They said Iranian forces appeared to force the ship into Iranian territorial waters.

The last major vessel seized by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was the container ship MSC Aries, a Portuguese-flagged, Madeira-registered vessel taken on April 13, 2024, in the Strait of Hormuz.

The alleged seizure comes as Tehran has warned it can strike back after facing a 12-day war in June with Israel, a conflict that also saw the US hit Iranian nuclear sites.

Officials said the ship, named Talara, had been traveling from Ajman in the United Arab Emirates to Singapore when Iranian forces intercepted it.

A US Navy MQ-4C Triton drone had been circling above the area where the Talara was sailing for hours on Friday, observing the unfolding seizure, according to flight-tracking data analysed by the Associated Press.

Private security firm Ambrey said the assault involved three small boats approaching the Talara before it was diverted. The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre separately confirmed the incident, saying a possible “state activity" forced the tanker into Iranian territorial waters.

Cyprus-based Columbia Shipmanagement, which oversees the Talara, later said it had “lost contact" with the vessel, which was carrying high-sulphur gasoil. The company said it had notified relevant authorities and was working with maritime security agencies and the vessel owner to restore communication, adding that “the safety of the crew remains our foremost priority."

The previous major seizure before the MSC Aries incident came in May 2022, when Iran intercepted two Greek tankers and held them until November that year. Those attacks were overshadowed later by Iranian-backed Houthi assaults on commercial shipping during the Israel-Hamas war, which drastically reduced movement through the Red Sea corridor.

News world US, UK Allege Iran Seized Singapore-Bound Oil Tanker In Strait Of Hormuz

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