Toxic air tightens grip on Iran, triggering widespread alerts

“Our rapid-reaction units tracked and seized the vessel following a judicial order to confiscate its cargo,” the IRGC Navy said.

The IRGC-affiliated Fars news said, citing its own sources, that the ship was carrying about 30,000 tons of petrochemical products owned by Iran that were being transferred illegally to Singapore.

Fars added that, according to its account, the tanker was sailing under a Marshall Islands flag and that the offenders were Iranian individuals or companies accused of trying to export the cargo unlawfully.

The ship, the IRGC said, was intercepted and directed to an Iranian anchorage “for investigation into violations,” adding that a full inspection of the cargo and documentation found the vessel “to be in breach for transporting unauthorized goods.”

The operation, the statement added, was conducted “under legal authority and to protect national interests,” with further details dependent on a complete review of the ship’s records.

Maritime sources earlier reported IRGC involvement

Reuters reported on Friday that the tanker had been seized in the Gulf of Oman and steered toward Iranian waters after passing the Strait of Hormuz, citing maritime security sources. Two sources told the agency the vessel changed course toward Iran’s coast after small boats approached it off the UAE port of Khor Fakkan, and that units linked to the Guards were involved.

Columbia Shipmanagement, the operator of Talara, said it lost contact with the vessel as it sailed from Sharjah to Singapore with a load of high-sulphur gasoil. The tanker is owned by Cyprus-based Pasha Finance.

The ship is owned by Cyprus-based Pasha Finance.

Ambrey, a maritime risk firm, said the tanker was about 22 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan when three small boats approached before it veered off its course in the Gulf of Oman, calling the event “likely highly targeted.”

Broader tensions over past seizures

Iran has continued to pursue legal action related to earlier maritime incidents. In late October, judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir said prosecutors had issued an indictment in the case of a container ship seized by the Revolutionary Guards last year in the Strait of Hormuz.

The ship’s Israeli-born owner, he said, was charged with financing terrorism, alleging transfers worth about 1.07 million dollars. According to the judiciary, the money supported Israeli military activities and the case was handled by Tehran’s international affairs prosecution office “in line with international and domestic law.”

The vessel, the MSC Aries, was flying a Portuguese flag when it was intercepted in April 2024. Reuters reported at the time that it was operated by Swiss-based MSC and leased from Gortal Shipping, an affiliate of Israel’s Zodiac Maritime, partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer.

Iran has stepped up maritime enforcement in recent months, especially in waters near the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, where fuel smuggling remains a persistent issue due to price differences with neighboring countries.

The IRGC regularly announces such seizures as part of what it calls efforts to curb fuel trafficking in the region, a key route for global oil shipments. Iran has also seized tankers over maritime disputes or in response to international sanctions enforcement.

“Iran is a different place” after the June strikes, Trump said aboard his plane en route to Florida on Friday. “Iran wants to negotiate a deal, too. Everybody wants to negotiate with us now.” He said this shift would not have happened “if we didn’t have military strength, if we didn’t rebuild our military in my first term.” He added that there had been “tremendous interest” in the Abraham Accords “since we put Iran out of business.”

The comments came a day after a senior aide in Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s office outlined strict conditions under which talks with the United States could take place. Mehdi Fazaeli said negotiations were “not absolutely forbidden” if they were tightly controlled and served Iran’s higher interests, while stressing what he called deep mistrust of Washington.

Fazaeli said Khamenei had at times allowed narrow contacts on Iraq, Afghanistan and nuclear issues, but rejected talks that could be seen as retreat. Negotiations collapsed after Israel launched surprise strikes on Iran in June, followed by US attacks on nuclear facilities that killed hundreds of civilians and military personnel.

The UN nuclear watchdog said this week it has been unable to check Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile for five months. Before June, it had confirmed Iran held about 440 kilograms enriched to 60 percent.

Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote to the UN chief this week saying Trump had publicly admitted to directing Israel’s initial strikes and urged the United Nations to seek reparations from Washington.

Aliabadi said the price of sending desalinated water from the south to the capital was far above what the state could justify in day-to-day planning. “This is not an economic option,” he said, adding that officials “will do whatever is needed” if people’s safety is at risk.

He said Tehran’s water stress meant all workable options had to be reviewed but said some crops consumed water in ways that “do not make economic sense” and should not be supported.

Aliabadi said large desalination sites were being built in Chabahar, Bandar Abbas and Khuzestan to strengthen water supplies in the south and draw in private investment. If those plants ease pressure in the south, he said, water now moved upstream could instead be kept for Tehran and northern areas, though he said this needed detailed study.

Former minister voices strong objection

Former transport minister Abbas Akhoundi criticized the approach, saying it overlooks environmental limits and the long-term cost for the public.

He wrote that the government could not “force nature to bend to machines” and said both capital relocation plans and major desalination transfers misunderstood why Iran faces deep water stress. He said such projects would burden the country without solving the core problem and would mainly benefit contractors.

Water specialists warn Iran is nearing what they describe as water bankruptcy, where use has exceeded supply for years and the reserves that once fed major cities have been depleted.

Kaveh Madani, director of the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, told Eye for Iran that Tehran’s reservoirs are near historic lows and that the capital is approaching “day zero,” when steady tap water can no longer be assumed.

He said if winter rains fall short, daily life in major cities could shift to storage tanks, tanker deliveries and bottled water.

Madani, director of the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health and former deputy head of Iran’s Department of Environment, told Eye for Iran that the country is not going through a normal drought but what he calls water bankruptcy.

This is a condition in which consumption exceeds supply and the reserves built over generations have already been drained.

“We have never seen such a thing,” Madani said. “The people of Tehran, the city that is the richest, most populous and strongest politically, is running out of water, is facing day zero.”

Satellite images and field data show alarming patterns nationwide. Tehran’s five main reservoirs are at some of their lowest recorded levels. Mashhad’s major dams have fallen below 3 percent capacity.

In many regions groundwater has sunk so deep that recovery is unlikely in this generation. The Ministry of Energy has already prepared rationing plans. Some neighborhoods have reported nighttime cuts. Officials have urged households to purchase storage tanks.

But experts stress that households are only a small part of the equation. More than 70 percent of Iran’s 90 million people live in large cities with no mid-size urban centers to absorb population shifts.

Ninety percent of all water use still goes to agriculture, a sector governments have protected for decades under a policy of food self-sufficiency. That choice has prevented water from being redirected toward cities even as the climate has grown hotter and drier.

For decades the state masked scarcity by expanding supply: building dams, drilling deeper wells and pumping water across basins from distant aquifers.

These measures created the illusion that dry regions, including the Tehran plain, could continue to grow. Over time that perception encouraged development and migration beyond what the land could sustain.

Aquifers drained, river exhaustion

With reserves depleted, Iran’s cities have very little left to fall back on.

Madani warns that if winter rains fail life in major cities could shift abruptly. “It means pumps and stores, delivery through tankers, more bottled water instead of tap water, a change of lifestyle.”

At the same time he cautions against mistaking brief rainfall or even seasonal floods for real recovery.

One storm could momentarily refill canals or ease pressure on local networks. But the underlying deficits, from drained aquifers to collapsing river systems, remain unchanged. “These days are real,” Madani said. “And even if in a few months there are floods, we shouldn’t conclude the problem has been resolved forever.”

Years of sanctions and a so-called resistance economy have pushed the state to extract whatever natural resources remain. Environmental reform is costly and slow with benefits that may not appear for a decade.

Asking citizens to cut consumption requires public trust, something the government lacks. Without transparent information about what reserves remain and clear communication about the severity of the crisis, cooperation will remain limited.

There is still a narrow window, Madani says. A few hours of concentrated rainfall could buy cities days. Collective reductions in consumption could buy weeks. But the structural imbalance, too many people and too little water, is now a national reality.

“This is a national security issue,” he said. “It affects every Iranian, no matter who is in charge.”

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Iravani said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) insists on access and inspection of attacked sites, but that requires new “modalities” to ensure the safety of the nuclear sites and their staff.

The IAEA's November report highlights Iran's denial of access to seven attacked nuclear sites for five months, voiding a September access deal and eroding safeguards verification.

Iravani criticized the reimposition of UN sanctions on Iran triggered by European powers, saying the a mechanism to reinstate them was based on a lapsed nuclear agreement.

“Resolution 2231 expired permanently in October, ending all related restrictions. Any attempt to revive or reimplement them is an illegal abuse of procedures and must be firmly rejected by this assembly and the Secretary-General,” Iravani said in a speech published by official media.

Under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, any participant in the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) - the E3 (France, Germany, UK), Russia, China or the United States could file a non-compliance complaint with the UN Security Council.

The E3 initiated the non-compliance process in August, and UN sanctions were fully activated and reimposed in September.

“The action by the three European countries to activate the so-called ‘trigger’ mechanism is an illegal, reckless move aimed at destroying the last bridge of diplomacy, and thus lacks any validity,” Iravani said.

'Inspection mdalities'

Iravani condemned Israel's June strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and subsequent US attacks, demanding condemnation from UN and IAEA officials.

The IAEA report also criticizes Iran's nuclear program for non-compliance, citing undeclared uranium traces at secret sites and stockpiles of 440.9 kg (972 pounds) enriched to 60% purity.

A 12-day war in June killed hundreds of military personnel and civilians; Iranian counterattacks killed 32 Israeli civilians and an off-duty soldier.

"Our response is only to respect, the rule of law, and equality. Military aggression and economic terrorism will never force Iran to forgo its legitimate rights,” Iravani said.

Iran says as a participant in the Non-Proliferation Treaty, it has the right to pursue uranium enrichment, which the West disputes.

Tehran denies seeking a nuclear weapon, citing a religious decree by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei; it rejects giving up its nuclear activities and has said discussions on its defense posture are a non-starter.

G7 foreign ministers urged Iran to fully comply with UN resolutions and NPT obligations during their Niagara summit on Tuesday, calling for renewed IAEA cooperation and direct US engagement backed by the E3.