Tehran: Iranian authorities have seized a foreign tanker in the Gulf of Oman for smuggling 2 million liters (around 528,000 gallons) of fuel, the chief justice of southern Hormozgan province announced. The vessel was intercepted after legal documents related to its cargo were found to be incomplete, stated Mojtaba Ghahremani.

According to Deutsche Welle, the issue of fuel smuggling by land to neighboring countries and by sea to Gulf Arab states is a persistent challenge for authorities in Iran, where domestic fuel prices are among the lowest in the world due to heavy subsidies. Ghahremani revealed that seventeen suspects, including the captain and crew of the foreign tanker, have been taken into custody. However, he did not disclose the identity and nationality of those arrested, nor the name of the tanker and the flag under which it is registered.

A judicial case has been opened at the Jask county prosecutor’s office. Ghahremani emphasized that the actions of fuel smugglers, who attempt to plunder national wealth in coordination with foreigners, will not go unnoticed by the judiciary. He assured that punishment of perpetrators, if their crimes are proven, will be administered without leniency.

This incident is part of a series of actions taken by Iranian authorities against fuel smuggling. In April, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized two Tanzanian-flagged tankers for alleged fuel smuggling, transferring the vessels to the port of Bushehr for legal proceedings. The 1.5 million liters of diesel that the ships were alleged to be carrying were reportedly to be returned to the local fuel supply chain after being handed to the National Iranian Oil Products Refining and Distribution Company. In November, Iran also seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman.