Iran 'illegally' seized commercial tanker in Hormuz Strait: US CENTCOM

ISTANBUL

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Sunday that Iranian forces "illegally" boarded and seized a commercial tanker in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.

The Marshall Islands-flagged M/V Talara was seized after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces arrived by helicopter and boarded the vessel, CENTCOM said in a statement.

The IRGC then moved the tanker into Iranian territorial waters, where it remains, it added.

According to British maritime security firm Ambrey, the Talara was traveling from the UAE to Singapore when it suddenly changed course while transiting the Gulf of Oman on Friday and headed toward Iranian waters after three small boats approached the vessel 20 nautical miles east of the UAE's Khor Fakkan.

"Iran's use of military forces to conduct an armed boarding and seizure of a commercial vessel in international waters constitutes a blatant violation of international law, undermining freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce," CENTCOM said.

The agency called on Tehran "to articulate to the international community the legal basis for its actions."

Iranian authorities have not issued a statement regarding the incident.