Iran Releases Seized Tanker After Five-Day Detention in Strait of Hormuz

Iran has released the Marshall Islands–flagged fuel tanker Talara five days after it was seized in the Strait of Hormuz, the vessel’s manager confirmed on Wednesday.

Columbia Shipmanagement, which oversees the Talara, said all 21 crew members returned “safe and in good spirits,” adding that the tanker would soon resume normal operations.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps detained the vessel on Friday, alleging it was transporting unauthorized cargo. The tanker had been en route from the United Arab Emirates to Singapore with a shipment of high-sulphur gasoline when it was diverted to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.

Despite the initial accusations, Columbia Shipmanagement said Iranian authorities did not file any formal charges against the ship or the company.

Iran has frequently accused vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz—a strategic waterway that handles roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments—of smuggling or carrying illegal cargo. Such seizures are often viewed as part of Tehran’s efforts to assert control over the region’s maritime routes.

The detention of the Talara is the first such incident since Iran’s 12-day conflict with Israel in June, during which similar maritime confrontations sharply declined.