Iran seizes oil tanker attempting to navigate through Strait of Hormuz
Iran recently seized an Emirati oil tanker named Talara, flagged by the Marshall Islands, while it was navigating through the strategic strait of Hormuz. The tanker was traveling from Ajman, United Arab Emirates, to Singapore when it was intercepted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps using three small boats. This incident marks the first such attack on international shipping in months and represents a notable escalation in regional tensions, which had cooled somewhat after recent conflicts between Israel and Iran and subsequent U.S. military strikes on Iranian targets.
Following the hijacking, a U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton drone was deployed for surveillance. The Cyprus-based Columbia Shipmanagement, responsible for the tanker, has lost contact with the vessel and is actively working with authorities and maritime security agencies to restore communications and ensure crew safety.
The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial maritime chokepoint through which roughly one-quarter of the world’s oil trade passes, including significant exports from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Iraq, and Kuwait.Iran has historically used disruption of shipping in this area as leverage in international negotiations, dating back to the Iran-Iraq War, during which heightened Iranian harassment prompted a large U.S. naval retaliation. The current seizure raises concerns over potential threats to global oil supply and international security in the region.
Iran seizes oil tanker attempting to navigate through Strait of Hormuz
Iran seized an Emirati oil tanker travelling through the Strait of Hormuz, the first such attack on international shipping in months.
The Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Talara was sailing from Ajman, United Arab Emirates, to Singapore when it was intercepted. British maritime risk management group Vanguard and other maritime sources told Reuters that the vessel was seized by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. The private security firm Ambrey told the Associated Press that the hijacking involved three small Iranian boats.
Flight tracking data showed the United States deployed a high-altitude U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton drone shortly after the hijacking.
The Cyprus-based Columbia Shipmanagement, responsible for the tanker, said in a statement that it had lost contact with the vessel.
The company said it “notified the relevant authorities and is working closely with all relevant parties — including maritime security agencies and the vessel owner — to restore contact with the vessel. … The safety of the crew remains our foremost priority,” the Associated Press reported.
The hijacking marks a sharp escalation in tensions, after they had largely died down following the 12 Day War between Israel and Iran, culminating in surgical U.S. strikes against Iranian nuclear targets. Iran had repeatedly threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz throughout the war, a move that could jeopardize the world economy.
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Roughly one-quarter of the world’s oil trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz, with oil giants Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Iraq, and Kuwait sending all or most of their oil through this route.
Iran has long leveraged harassment of oil shipping through the strait as key leverage in international negotiations, going back to the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-1988. Iranian harassment of international oil shipping during the war triggered the U.S. Operation Praying Mantis, which obliterated the majority of the Iranian Navy.
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