Iran seized a foreign tanker overnight on Friday allegedly carrying six million litres of smuggled diesel in the Gulf of Oman. Eighteen crew members from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were on board.
"An oil tanker carrying six million litres of contraband diesel fuel has been boarded off the coast of the Sea of Oman," the Iranian state-affiliated Fars news agency reported, quoting an official from the southern province of Hormozgan.
"The vessel had disabled all its navigation systems."
No information was provided about the name of the vessel or its flag. Iranian forces regularly announce the interception of ships accused by the country's military of illegally transporting fuel in the Gulf.
Tehran, which has some of the world's lowest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies and the plunge in the value of its national currency, has been fighting rampant fuel smuggling by land to neighbouring countries and by sea to the region.
Last month the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized a ship flying the flag of Eswatini and carrying "smuggled fuel" in the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
The IRGC, the ideological arm of the Iranian military, also seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf in November. The company managing the vessel later said Iran had released the tanker and its 21 crew members were safe.
Iranian authorities said “the tanker was in violation for carrying unauthorised cargo”, following inspections.
The ship had been travelling from the UAE to Singapore when Iranian troops intercepted it. The tanker was approached by three small boats in the Strait of Hormuz before deviating from its course in the Gulf of Oman, according to private maritime security company Ambrey.
The latest interception came two days after the US seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.
According to Washington, the ship's captain was transporting oil from Venezuela and Iran. The US Treasury sanctioned Venezuela in 2022 over alleged ties to the IRGC and Hezbollah.
With reporting from agencies
