Merchant ships are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.
Maritime Cargo Shipping has become increasingly dangerous in the vital middle-east trade routes: you have the Houthis seizing and/or destroying merchant ships, the Somali pirates accosting vessels in search of plunder and ramson – and now you have the Iranians!
Yesterday (14), Iranian forces intercepted an oil products tanker, diverting it into Iranian territorial waters.
It’s the first report of Tehran seizing a tanker since Israeli-U.S. strikes on Iran in June.
Reuters reported:
“The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, the Talara, had been sailing off the United Arab Emirates’ coast, maritime sources said, and was carrying a cargo of high-Sulphur gasoil through the Indian Ocean en route to Singapore from Sharjah in the UAE.
The U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the incident was surprising because Iran, known for intercepting ships in the Gulf in the past, had not carried out such operations in recent months.”
BREAKING:
Hours ago, Iranian navy commandos seized an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz that was carrying crude oil from the UAE to Singapore. pic.twitter.com/p2TSsz4Dme
— Current Report (@Currentreport1) November 14, 2025
“’Contact was lost at around 0822 local time (0422 UTC) on Friday … approximately 20 nautical miles off the coast of Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates’, the vessel’s manager Columbia Shipmanagement said in a statement, adding that it was working closely with relevant parties, including maritime security agencies and the vessel’s owner, to restore contact.”
BREAKING:
Iran seizes oil tanker linked to Singapore and UAE
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have seized a Marshal Islands-flagged oil tanker on its way from the UAE to Singapore
The vessel was surrounded by the IRGC Navy and forces to change course.… pic.twitter.com/RP0OXXFy3S
— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) November 14, 2025
Today (15), Iran confirmed the that it seized the tanker as in the narrow Strait of Hormuz over ‘violations’, including ‘carrying an illegal consignment’.
CBS News reported:
“A report by the official Irna news agency carried a statement by the Revolutionary Guard that said the tanker was taken to Iranian waters. It did not elaborate on the ‘illegal consignment’, the crew or say where the ship was now heading.
It said the seizure came following a court order and the operation was aimed at ‘protecting Iran’s national interests and resources’. It identified the oil tanker as the Talara and said it was carrying 30,000 tons of petrochemical products.”
Read more:
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