The oil tanker Talara, which is flagged in the Marshall Islands and was sailing from the United Arab Emirates to Singapore, suddenly changed course towards Iranian territorial waters on Friday.
Vanguard Tech said Iran's Revolutionary Guard had taken control of the ship. The US Navy said it was "actively monitoring developments."
The ship was traveling through the Strait of Hormuz when three boats approached, according to security firm Ambrey, and the ship then completely changed course.
Iran has previously taken illegal control of merchant ships that have traveled off the country's coast, but the activities have ceased for a long time.
“This is the first time since the merchant ship MSC Aries was seized in April 2024,” notes the security company Neptune P2P.
Iran has not commented on the incident.
