SINGAPUR (dpa-AFX) - U.S. Central Command forces say Iranian forces have seized a Marshall Islands-flagged commercial tanker transiting international waters in the Strait of Hormuz last week.
USCENTCOM said it monitored the incident that took place on November 14.
M/V Talara was seized after being boarded by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who arrived by helicopter. IRGC operatives then steered the tanker to Iran's territorial waters where the ship remains.
CENTCOM alleged that 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. The U.S. Central Command called on Iran to articulate to the international community the legal basis for its actions.
According to British maritime security firm Ambrey, the Greek-owned tanker was sailing from the UAE port of Ajman to Singapore last Friday when it suddenly changed trajectory in the Gulf of Oman and headed toward Iranian waters.
The Iranian forces reportedly approached the vessel in three small boats 20 nautical miles east of the UAE's Khor Fakkan.
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