TEHERAN - Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Saturday that its naval forces have seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker off the country's southern Makran coast along the Gulf of Oman over unspecified "violations."

The oil tanker, the Talara, was tracked and seized by the IRGC Navy's rapid-reaction forces on Friday at 7:30 am local time (0400 GMT) following an order from Iran's judicial authorities and after its movements were monitored, according to a statement published by the IRGC's official news outlet, Sepah News.

The statement said the ship was carrying 30,000 tonnes of petrochemicals destined for Singapore. It added that after inspecting the vessel and reviewing its cargo and documents, IRGC naval forces confirmed it had "committed violations" by carrying "unauthorized" cargo.

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It said the operation was carried out "to protect Iran's national interests and resources."

A US official said Friday that Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and diverted it into Iranian territorial waters, calling it the first such interdiction in months in the strategic waterway.