Iran has seized a foreign oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman for allegedly smuggling 2 million liters of fuel, the chief justice of Hormozgan province said on Wednesday, according to state-linked media.
“In the course of monitoring suspicious fuel smuggling activity in the country's maritime borders in the Sea of Oman, a foreign oil tanker was inspected and seized due to incomplete legal documents related to its cargo,” Mojtaba Ghahremani said, according to a statement carried by the judiciary’s public relations office.
Ghahremani said a criminal case has been opened in the public and revolutionary prosecutor’s office in Jask and legal proceedings are ongoing. “Based on the report of the authorities, a case has been filed, and judicial investigation into the charges continues,” he said.
He added that 17 people, including the ship’s captain and crew, were arrested. “Seventeen suspects, including the captain and crew of this foreign tanker, are currently in detention for further investigation and legal procedures,” Ghahremani said.
Authorities are now collecting evidence to verify the total volume and nature of the cargo. “Sampling and relevant testing of the tanker’s fuel cargo, and inquiries into the authenticity of its documents, are underway,” he said. Results will be announced by the judiciary when the investigation concludes, he added.
Iran has not named the ship or its country of origin.
Iran has stepped up maritime enforcement in recent months, especially in waters near the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, where fuel smuggling remains a persistent issue. In April, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said it had seized a tanker carrying 100,000 liters of smuggled fuel and detained six people, according to Fars News Agency. That followed a separate operation in which two tankers allegedly transporting more than 3 million liters of diesel were intercepted and taken to the port of Bushehr.
The IRGC regularly announces such seizures as part of what it calls efforts to curb fuel trafficking in the region, a key route for global oil shipments. Iran has also seized tankers over maritime disputes or in response to international sanctions enforcement.
