Iran's Revolutionary Guards seize Togo-flagged Oil tanker for fuel smuggling

Shafaq News/ Iran's Revolutionary Guards have seized a Togo-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf and detained its nine Indian crew members over alleged fuel smuggling, the military force announced on Monday.

According to the statement, the oil tanker named "Pearl G," registered under the Togolese flag and owned by an Iraqi resident of Dubai, was apprehended on Friday morning. The vessel was found to be carrying approximately 700,000 liters of smuggled fuel.

The Guards' naval forces intercepted the tanker near the Arash oil field, a contested area between Iran and Kuwait, while it was loading fuel from Iranian barges.

The statement added that "the tanker and its crew have been transferred to Imam Khomeini Port and are currently under surveillance."

This seizure marks the second such incident in less than a week. On July 22, the Revolutionary Guards also captured another Togo-flagged oil tanker and arrested its 12 crew members for similar allegations of fuel smuggling.

The fate of both vessels and their crews remains uncertain. Iranian naval forces frequently report detentions of ships involved in fuel smuggling operations in the Gulf.

In late January, Iran seized a vessel carrying two million liters of alleged smuggled fuel. In May, seven crew members from a Portuguese-flagged container ship detained in April on suspicion of links to Israel were released.