Iran seizes foreign oil tanker near Gulf, saying it was carrying millions of smuggled fuel liters

Iran said last week it had seized another foreign tanker carrying 6 million litres of what it described as smuggled diesel in the Gulf of Oman.

Iran has seized a foreign oil tanker near the Iranian island of Qeshm in the Gulf, saying it was carrying four million litres of smuggled fuel, state media reported on Friday.

Authorities did not name the vessel or disclose its nationality. They said 16 foreign crew members had been detained on criminal charges. State TV said the tanker was seized on Wednesday.

Iranian news websites published video footage and photographs of what they said was the seized tanker.

Iran said last week it had seized another foreign tanker carrying 6 million litres of what it described as smuggled diesel in theGulf of Oman without identifying the vessel or its nationality.

Iran, which has some of the world’s lowest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies and a sharp fall in the value of its national currency, has been seeking to curb widespread fuel smuggling by land to neighbouring countries and by sea to Gulf states.

How US blockade of oil tankers in Venezuela affects Iran

At the beginning of December, US President Donald Trump announced that the US was beginning a “total and complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela.

This could also affect Iran or other countries that trade with Venezuela or that operate sanctioned oil tanker vessels. This is important because back in 2020, the US targeted four oil tankers which were part of a “multi-million dollar fuel shipment by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” the US Justice Department said at the time.

Four Iranian tankers had already turned around after heading to Venezuela after the US seized a vessel called Skipper. It was seized “for its alleged involvement in transporting sanctioned oil,” Bloomberg reported.

Iran signed a 20-year cooperation agreement with Venezuela in 2022.