Iran seizes foreign ship for smuggling fuel in Gulf

TEHRAN - Iranian coast guards have seized a foreign ship for smuggling fuel in the Gulf and detained 12 crew members, Iranian media reported on Saturday.

All the crew members detained are Filipinos, the Ecofars news website reported.

The ship was carrying 283,900 liters of diesel fuel, it said.

Legal measures about the case were carried out by the Iranian judiciary, it added.

Amid the rising tensions between Iran and the United States, which has heightened pressure on Tehran with sanctions including a total oil trade ban, Iran has seized a number of ships for smuggling oil in the Gulf in the past months.