Iran seizes foreign oil tanker in Gulf for carrying 'smuggled' fuel

TEHRAN -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) captured a foreign oil tanker for carrying "smuggled" fuel in the Gulf, official IRNA news agency reported Sunday.

The vessel was carrying 700,000 liters of "smuggled" fuel to the customers in neighboring Arab states when it was seized, IRNA said.

Acting on intelligence information, IRGC's Naval District 2 seized the ship near the island of Farsi on Wednesday night, Ramezan Zirahi, an IRGC commander, was quoted as saying.

Earlier reports said the oil tanker was captured on Sunday.

The seized tanker was transferred to Iran's southern port of Bushehr, IRNA said.

Zirahi added that seven crew members of different nationalities were detained.

After coordination with the Iranian judiciary officials, the fuel of the vessel was delivered to the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company in Bushehr Province.

The IRGC announced that it will not hesitate to protect the country's interests in the Gulf.

On July 14, the IRGC seized the Panamanian-flagged Riah tanker for smuggling 1 million liters of Iranian fuel south of Larak Island in the Gulf.

On June 19, the IRGC captured the British Stena Impero tanker as it was passing through the Strait of Hormuz "for failing to respect international maritime rules."