Iran’s latest tanker seizure signals projection of power in Persian Gulf
Iran has taken credit for seizing a ship on Friday that was off the coast of the UAE near the Strait of Hormuz . “Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy has seized an oil tanker off the southern coast of Makran under a judicial order over violations by the vessel,” Iranian state media IRNA said, revealing details about the takeover. The IRGC Navy had monitored the ship, which was a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker named Talara. The IRGC has its own naval vessels, mostly small fast boats. The relatively small Iranian navy has several other larger ships. The IRGC is often involved in Iran’s naval actions in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It has hijacked many vessels in the past. It increased those operations back in 2019, confiscating several ships. However, Iran has appeared to step back from these threats recently. What do we know about the Iranian decision to redirect this ship toward Iranian waters? The IRGC Navy said the “...