Iran Captures Two Foreign Oil Tankers Over Alleged Fuel Smuggling

Iranian naval forces seized two foreign oil tankers in the Persian Gulf on Monday.

The vessels were accused of smuggling diesel fuel, The Caspian Post reports citing Iranian media.

The tankers were intercepted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and transferred to the port of Bushehr.

“The two tankers, with a total of 25 crew members, were systematically involved in fuel smuggling in the central waters of the Persian Gulf and were collectively carrying over three million liters of smuggled diesel fuel,” the IRGC said in a statement.

IRGC officials said the vessels were identified through intelligence monitoring and are now being moved to the Bushehr oil pier under judicial order for fuel confiscation.

In April 2023, the Iranian Navy seized the Advantage Sweet, a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker, in the Gulf of Oman, alleging it had collided with an Iranian vessel.

In January 2024, Iran seized the St. Nikolas, another Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, in retaliation for the U.S. confiscation of its oil cargo the previous year.