Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Seize Oil Tanker in Gulf Amid Rising Fuel Smuggling Tensions

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday seized an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf carrying millions of liters of fuel and more than a dozen foreign crew members, according to Iranian state media, marking the latest in a series of maritime interceptions by Tehran in one of the world’s most strategically sensitive waterways.

State television quoted IRGC Navy Commander General Abbas Gholamshahi as saying the vessel was transporting approximately four million liters of “smuggled fuel” and had 16 non-Iranian crew members on board.

He said IRGC forces boarded the tanker as it was leaving Iranian territorial waters. Iranian authorities did not immediately disclose the ship’s flag or ownership.

Iranian officials regularly announce the interception of vessels they accuse of participating in illegal fuel trafficking in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow maritime corridor through which a significant share of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass.

Any disruption in the strait is closely monitored by global energy markets and international powers due to its critical role in global trade.

Wednesday’s seizure follows a string of similar incidents in recent weeks, highlighting what Iranian authorities describe as an expanded effort to combat fuel smuggling. Earlier in December, Iran seized another tanker in the Gulf of Oman carrying 18 crew members from India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. That incident occurred only days after the United States announced it had seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.

Washington has said the vessel it seized was involved in transporting oil linked to both Venezuela and Iran. The United States imposed sanctions on Venezuela in 2022, citing alleged connections between Venezuelan authorities and groups designated by Washington as terrorist organizations, including the IRGC and Hezbollah.

Tehran rejects such accusations and maintains that its maritime actions are lawful and aimed at protecting national resources.

Fuel smuggling has long been a persistent issue for Iran, where heavily subsidized energy prices make gasoline and diesel among the cheapest in the world. The sharp price differential with neighboring countries has created lucrative incentives for organized smuggling networks operating by land and sea, prompting Iranian authorities to intensify enforcement operations in coastal waters.

Last month, Iran announced it had seized an oil tanker in Gulf waters for carrying what it described as an unauthorized cargo. In November, the IRGC also confirmed the capture of a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker in the same region.

While Tehran frames these actions as routine law enforcement, Western governments and shipping companies have repeatedly expressed concern over the safety of commercial navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

The latest seizure adds to ongoing tensions between Iran and the United States and underscores the fragile security environment in the Gulf, where maritime incidents often carry implications far beyond the vessels involved, affecting regional stability and global energy security.