IRGC Seizes Gulf Ship Alleged to Carry 4 Million Litres of Smuggled Fuel

Overview

• IRGC officials said forces boarded the vessel as it was leaving Iranian territorial waters following an intelligence-led operation.
• Sixteen non-Iranian crew members were detained, and authorities said the ship and cargo were referred to judicial officials with further investigations targeting smuggling networks.
• Commanders said the tanker had taken on more than four million litres from smaller boats and planned to transfer the fuel to larger ships outside the Gulf.
• State media did not specify the vessel’s flag, and reporting so far comes from Iranian outlets without independent confirmation in these accounts.
• The seizure continues a recent pattern that included an early-December interception in the Gulf of Oman and a November detention later resolved with the release of a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, as low domestic fuel prices drive smuggling.