Iran seizes Foreign Oil Tankers & Detains 15 Crew Over Fuel Smuggling In Persian Gulf

Iran has seized two foreign oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, accusing them of smuggling fuel, according to reports from Iranian state media on Thursday.

State television said the two tankers were carrying about one million litres of fuel, including diesel, when they were intercepted near Farsi Island.

The vessels were later taken to the port of Bushehr. Iranian authorities did not reveal the nationalities of the ships, the flags they were flying, or the countries of origin of their crew members.

A regional commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, General Heidar Honarian Mojarrad, was reported to have said that 15 crew members from the two tankers have been taken into custody and referred to judicial authorities. No further details about the crew were provided.

Iranian news agencies reported that the vessels were allegedly part of a fuel smuggling network that had been operating in the region for several months.

The IRGC was said to have identified and seized the ships through intelligence and monitoring operations at sea.

The seizure follows a series of similar incidents in recent months. In December, the IRGC detained a foreign tanker in the Strait of Hormuz carrying around four million litres of smuggled fuel, along with 16 non-Iranian crew members.

In the same month, another tanker carrying about six million litres of diesel was seized in the Gulf of Oman, with 18 crew members reported to be from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

A ship flying the flag of Eswatini was also seized earlier in the Strait of Hormuz on similar charges.

In November, Iran detained a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf, although the company managing the vessel later said the tanker was released and all 21 crew members were safe.

Western countries have previously accused Iran of targeting commercial shipping in the region.

The West has blamed Tehran for limpet mine attacks that damaged oil tankers in 2019 and for a drone attack on an Israeli-linked tanker in 2021 that killed two European crew members.

These incidents followed the United States’ withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran during President Donald Trump’s first term.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has previously said that fuel prices in the country lack rationality because of subsidies.

A 2024 report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace warned that Iran is facing a serious energy crisis due to years of mismanagement, corruption, excessive subsidies and international sanctions.

References: AP News, thenationalnews

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