Shafaq News- Tehran

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy seized two vessels suspected of fuel smuggling in the Persian Gulf, confiscating more than one million liters of fuel, Iranian media reported on Thursday.

The outlets said the boats were part of an organized fuel-smuggling network that had been operating in Gulf waters for several months. The crews, which include 15 foreigners, were detained.

Fuel smuggling remains a persistent challenge in Iran, fueled by heavily subsidized domestic fuel prices and sharp price differentials with neighboring countries. In December 2025, Iranian authorities detained a foreign oil tanker in the Persian Gulf carrying about four million liters of smuggled fuel, according to earlier IRGC statements.