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 oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman carrying 6 million liters of so-called smuggled diesel.

Iran seized a foreign oil tanker near the Iranian island of Qeshm in the Gulf, saying it was carrying 4 million liters of smuggled fuel, state media reported on Friday.

Authorities did not reveal the name or nationality of the ship. They said 16 foreign crew members were detained on criminal charges. State television said the tanker was seized on Wednesday.

Iranian news websites published video footage and photos of what they said were the impounded tankers.

Iran said last week it had seized another foreign tanker in the Gulf of Oman carrying 6 million liters of smuggled diesel, but did not disclose the vessel or its nationality.

Iran, which has some of the lowest fuel prices in the world due to heavy subsidies and a sharp depreciation of its currency, has sought to curb widespread fuel smuggling by land to neighboring countries and by sea to Gulf states.

How does the U.S. blockade of Venezuelan oil tankers affect Iran?

In early December, U.S. President Trump announced that the United States would begin a “complete and complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.

This could also affect Iran or other countries that trade with Venezuela or operate sanctioned tankers. That’s important because back in 2020, the U.S. targeted four oil tankers that were part of “millions of dollars of fuel shipped by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” the Justice Department said at the time.

Four Iranian oil tankers have turned around after heading to Venezuela after the United States seized a vessel called the Skipper. According to Bloomberg, the company was seized “on suspicion of involvement in transporting sanctioned oil.”

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