Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy said on Saturday it had seized a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker off the coast of Makran, confirming earlier reports from maritime security firms and ship-tracking agencies.
“Our rapid-reaction units tracked and seized the vessel following a judicial order to confiscate its cargo,” the IRGC Navy said.
The IRGC-affiliated Fars news said, citing its own sources, that the ship was carrying about 30,000 tons of petrochemical products owned by Iran that were being transferred illegally to Singapore.
Fars added that, according to its account, the tanker was sailing under a Marshall Islands flag and that the offenders were Iranian individuals or companies accused of trying to export the cargo unlawfully.
The ship, the IRGC said, was intercepted and directed to an Iranian anchorage “for investigation into violations,” adding that a full inspection of the cargo and documentation found the vessel “to be in breach for transporting unauthorized goods.”
The operation, the statement added, was conducted “under legal authority and to protect national interests,” with further details dependent on a complete review of the ship’s records.
Maritime sources earlier reported IRGC involvement
Reuters reported on Friday that the tanker had been seized in the Gulf of Oman and steered toward Iranian waters after passing the Strait of Hormuz, citing maritime security sources. Two sources told the agency the vessel changed course toward Iran’s coast after small boats approached it off the UAE port of Khor Fakkan, and that units linked to the Guards were involved.
Columbia Shipmanagement, the operator of Talara, said it lost contact with the vessel as it sailed from Sharjah to Singapore with a load of high-sulphur gasoil. The tanker is owned by Cyprus-based Pasha Finance.
The ship is owned by Cyprus-based Pasha Finance.
Ambrey, a maritime risk firm, said the tanker was about 22 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan when three small boats approached before it veered off its course in the Gulf of Oman, calling the event “likely highly targeted.”
Broader tensions over past seizures
Iran has continued to pursue legal action related to earlier maritime incidents. In late October, judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir said prosecutors had issued an indictment in the case of a container ship seized by the Revolutionary Guards last year in the Strait of Hormuz.
The ship’s Israeli-born owner, he said, was charged with financing terrorism, alleging transfers worth about 1.07 million dollars. According to the judiciary, the money supported Israeli military activities and the case was handled by Tehran’s international affairs prosecution office “in line with international and domestic law.”
The vessel, the MSC Aries, was flying a Portuguese flag when it was intercepted in April 2024. Reuters reported at the time that it was operated by Swiss-based MSC and leased from Gortal Shipping, an affiliate of Israel’s Zodiac Maritime, partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer.
Iran has stepped up maritime enforcement in recent months, especially in waters near the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, where fuel smuggling remains a persistent issue due to price differences with neighboring countries.
The IRGC regularly announces such seizures as part of what it calls efforts to curb fuel trafficking in the region, a key route for global oil shipments. Iran has also seized tankers over maritime disputes or in response to international sanctions enforcement.