The Iranian authorities seized an foreign oil tanker in the sea of Oman suspected of smuggling fuel, the judiciary announced on Wednesday.
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The ship was intercepted after examining the documents relating to its cargo which turned out to be “incomplete”, said Mojtaba Ghahremani, head of judicial power in the southern province of Hormozgan, according to the Mizan Online site.
The oil tanker was carrying “two million liters of smuggling fuel,” said the same source. “Seventeen suspects, including the captain and crew members of the foreign oil tanker, were placed in detention,” said Ghahremani, without specifying the identity and nationality of those arrested.
The authorities carry out laboratory tests and examine documents to verify the content and legality of the cargo, according to the same source.
This seizure comes a few months after the interception by revolution guards, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, of two tankers beating Tanzanian pavilion who would have transported 1.5 million liters of diesel to the Gulf.
These oil tankers were then transferred to the port of Bouchehr (southwest) to be subject to legal proceedings. The ships, the SEA Ranger and the Salama, had 25 foreign crew members, according to Iranian media.
Fuel smuggling is a recurring problem in Iran, where important subsidies have made it possible to maintain the lowest domestic fuel prices in the world. Iran is struck by heavy international sanctions linked to its nuclear program, which suffocates its economy.