Iran Seizes Oil Tanker with 6 Million Liters of Contraband Fuel and Multinational Crew in Gulf of Oman

Iran has seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman carrying approximately 6 million liters of contraband diesel fuel, according to Iranian media reports released overnight from Friday to Saturday.

The vessel was carrying 18 crew members from India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh when it was intercepted by Iranian forces.

The Fars news agency quoted an official from the southern province of Hormozgan stating: "An oil tanker carrying six million liters of contraband diesel fuel has been boarded off the coast of the Sea of Oman. The vessel had disabled all its navigation systems."

This seizure represents a continuation of Iran's regular practice of intercepting vessels allegedly engaged in illegal fuel transportation in the Gulf region.

Fuel smuggling from Iran is a profitable enterprise due to the country's extremely low retail fuel prices, which are among the lowest in the world.

Just last month, Iran seized another oil tanker in Gulf waters, claiming it was "carrying an unauthorized cargo." Iranian authorities dismissed suggestions that the action was retaliatory against any other nation.

The timing of this latest interception is notable, occurring just two days after the United States seized an oil tanker off Venezuela's coast.

According to Washington, the captain of the US-seized vessel was transporting oil from both Venezuela and Iran. In 2022, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on Venezuela, citing alleged connections to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah.