Iran Confiscates Foreign Tanker on Fuel Smuggling Accusations

Iranian officials have apprehended a foreign tanker, accused of smuggling fuel in the Gulf waters, and detained its 17 crew members, as reported by local media on Monday.

“Police border guards in Hormozgan province seized a tanker named Phoenix, bearing the flag of a third nation, within Iranian territorial waters,” the ISNA news agency disclosed, without providing further details.

It was noted that authorities detained “17 foreign suspects” aboard the vessel, which was discovered to be transporting “more than two million litres of smuggled fuel.”

Fuel smuggling is an ongoing challenge in Iran, where significant subsidies have ensured domestic fuel prices remain among the most affordable worldwide.

Iranian authorities frequently announce the interception and seizure of vessels engaged in the illegal transport of fuel in the region.

Last month, Iranian officials seized another foreign tanker suspected of smuggling in the Sea of Oman, which state media reported was similarly carrying two million litres of fuel.