Iranian Forces Allegedly Seize Tanker in Strait of Hormuz

On Friday, Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker as it passed through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, according to a U.S. official and a private maritime risk group. The tanker was diverted into Iranian territorial waters, marking the first such interdiction in months in this strategic waterway.

Iran did not immediately acknowledge the seizure, though it comes as Tehran has been increasingly warning it can strike back after facing a 12-day war in June with Israel that saw the U.S. strike Iranian nuclear sites, The Caspian Post reports citing foreign media.

The ship, the Talara, had been traveling from Ajman, United Arab Emirates, to Singapore when Iranian forces intercepted it, said the U.S. defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.

The Reuters news agency cited the private British maritime risk management group Vanguard and other maritime security sources saying the Talara had been intercepted by forces with Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and steered toward Iranian waters.

A U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton drone had been circling above the area where the Talara was for hours on Friday observing the seizure, flight-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed.