Iranian authorities have seized a foreign tanker in the Gulf of Oman for allegedly smuggling 2 million liters of fuel, according to the chief justice of Hormozgan province, as reported by Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency on Wednesday. “During the continuous process of monitoring and surveilling suspicious fuel smuggling movements in the Gulf of Oman, officers inspected a foreign tanker due to its lack of legal documents regarding its cargo and seized it on charges of carrying 2 million liters of smuggled fuel,” Hormozgan Chief Justice Mojtaba Ghahremani stated in the report.
Ghahremani also said that 17 crew members were taken into custody and a legal case has been initiated at the Jask County prosecutor’s office.
The report did not specify the name of the tanker or the flag under which it was sailing.
Iran, known for having some of the world’s lowest fuel prices, largely due to substantial government subsidies and the devaluation of its currency, has long struggled with widespread fuel smuggling, both overland to neighboring countries and by sea to Gulf Arab states.
“The actions of fuel smugglers who, in coordination with foreigners, attempt to plunder national wealth will not remain hidden from the judiciary and punishment of perpetrators, if their crimes are proven, will be without leniency,” Ghahremani warned.
Authorities are currently conducting laboratory tests and reviewing documentation to determine the nature and legality of the seized cargo, the report added.
This latest incident follows a previous operation months earlier, when Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intercepted two Tanzanian-flagged tankers accused of transporting 1.5 million liters of diesel in the Gulf.
Those vessels were reportedly moved to the port of Bushehr for legal action.
The ships, Sea Ranger and Salama, were said to be carrying 25 foreign crew members, according to Iranian media.
