Iran Confirms Seizure of Marshall Islands Fuel Tanker

Nov. 15 (UPI) — Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps confirmed Saturday that it has seized a fuel tanker bound for Singapore from the United Arab Emirates. The IRGC Navy said in a statement the Talara was carrying 30,000 tons of petrochemicals and had been monitoring it after a court ordered the ship’s seizure on Friday morning, according to IRNA, Iran’s official government news agency. The ‘unauthorized cargo’ — high-sulphur gas oil, which is used to fuel ships and other marine vessels — led three small surface vessels to intercept the Talara has it sailed south through the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera and the BBC reported. ‘This operation was carried out successfully in accordance with legal duties and for the purpose of safeguarding the national interests and resources of the Islamic Republic of Iran and under the orders of judicial authorities,’ the IRGC Navy said.