Iran detains foreign oil tanker in Persian Gulf
Shafaq News – Qeshm
Iranian authorities seized a foreign oil tanker carrying an estimated four million liters of smuggled fuel in the Persian Gulf near Qeshm Island, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported on Friday.
Mojtaba Ghahramani, head of the Justice Department in Hormozgan province, described the interception as part of a court-mandated campaign against fuel smuggling, explaining that naval units from the First Maritime Zone of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) conducted the operation.
He indicated that authorities detained 16 crew members, all foreign nationals, and placed them in judicial custody, with a case opened in Qeshm to examine the alleged violations.
Ghahramani assessed the value of the tanker and its cargo at around 700 billion Iranian tomans (≈ $14M), stressing that under Articles 20 and 22 of Iran’s law on combating the smuggling of goods and foreign currency, “the vessel and its shipment will be confiscated in favor of the state.”
He stated that security forces would continue operations to counter fuel smuggling in Iranian waters.
In a previous incident, the IRGC intercepted a petrochemical tanker near the Strait of Hormuz over alleged fuel and petrochemical smuggling violations, with officials framing the move as part of an ongoing campaign to curb illicit maritime trade and protect state revenues.
