Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized a foreign-flagged vessel carrying 350,000 litres of smuggled fuel, directing it to Bushehr in the south-west, state media reported, highlighting Tehran’s strict control over regional fuel shipments.
The ship, flying Eswatini’s flag, had 13 crew members from India and a neighbouring country, according to Iranian authorities, who confirmed the operation occurred in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
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State television said the seized fuel included Iranian petrochemical products allegedly being illegally transported to Singapore, with the main responsibility reportedly linked to an Iranian individual or company.
Earlier this month, the Guards had captured a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, later released along with its 21 crew members, demonstrating Iran’s ongoing efforts to monitor fuel smuggling in the Gulf.
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Despite historical tensions, officials clarified that the seizure of the Talara vessel was a local enforcement action, not directed against any nation, but aimed at preventing illegal fuel transportation in regional waters.
The Revolutionary Guards have a history of seizing tankers suspected of fuel smuggling, especially in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial chokepoint for global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.