Iran seizes two foreign tankers smuggling fuel in Persian Gulf

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy confiscated two foreign tankers involved in the illicit smuggling of fuel in the Persian Gulf waters.

The seized vessels, named Start 1 and Vintage, were carrying over three million liters of smuggled diesel fuel, Caliber.Az reports via Iranian media.

All 25 crew members aboard the two tankers were arrested during the operation. The tanks were apprehended while attempting to transport fuel illegally from Iran, where fuel is among the cheapest in the world due to government subsidies, leading to widespread fuel smuggling activities, particularly in the southern maritime borders.

The significant price disparity between fuel in Iran and neighboring countries has made smuggling a highly profitable illegal trade. The Iranian authorities, aware of this issue, have ramped up their efforts in recent years to combat the practice and curb the illegal fuel trade in the region.

This latest operation comes just days after Iranian border police seized another vessel in the Persian Gulf, carrying one million liters of smuggled oil. The Iranian government's focus on reducing fuel smuggling underscores its broader efforts to safeguard national resources and assert control over its maritime borders.

In April 2023, the Iranian Navy seized the Advantage Sweet, a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker, in the Gulf of Oman, claiming that it had collided with an Iranian vessel.

Similarly, in January 2024, Iran captured the St. Nikolas (formerly known as Suez Rajan), another Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, in retaliation for the U.S. seizure of an Iranian oil cargo the previous year.

In 2019, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards seized the British-flagged Stena Impero in the same waterway, accusing it of ramming a fishing boat. The tanker was released two months later.

Iran has consistently justified these actions by citing reasons such as fuel smuggling, maritime violations, or as reciprocal measures in response to similar actions taken against its own vessels.

In recent years, tensions between Iran and the United States have escalated, particularly over a series of incidents in the sensitive waters of the Persian Gulf, through which a significant portion of the world's energy supplies pass.

By Vafa Guliyeva