Latest news with #Hormozgan
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Al Arabiya
Iran seizes foreign tanker accused of smuggling fuel
Iranian authorities have seized a foreign tanker accused of smuggling fuel in the Gulf waters and arrested its 17 crew members, local media reported Monday. 'Police border guards in Hormozgan province seized a tanker named Phoenix, flying the flag of a third country, in Iranian territorial waters,' ISNA news agency reported, without elaborating. It added that forces arrested '17 foreign suspects' aboard the vessel which was found to be carrying 'more than two million liters of smuggled fuel.' Fuel smuggling is a recurring challenge in Iran, where heavy subsidies have kept domestic fuel prices among the lowest in the world. Iranian authorities regularly announce interception and seizure of vessels illegally transporting fuel in the area. Last month, Iranian authorities seized in the Sea of Oman a foreign tanker suspected of smuggling, which state media said was also carrying two million liters of fuel.
LBCI
16-07-2025
- LBCI
Iran seizes foreign tanker for smuggling 2 million liters of fuel
A foreign tanker was seized by Iran in the Gulf of Oman for smuggling 2 million liters of fuel, the chief justice of Hormozgan province said on Wednesday, according to Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency. "During the continuous process of monitoring and surveilling suspicious fuel smuggling movements in the Gulf of Oman, officers inspected a foreign tanker due to its lack of legal documents regarding its cargo and seized it on charges of carrying 2 million liters of smuggled fuel," Hormozgan's Chief Justice Mojtaba Ghahremani said, according to the report. The judiciary official added that 17 crew members were arrested and that a judicial case was opened at the Jask county prosecutor's office. There was no additional information regarding the name of the tanker or the flag to which it is registered. Reuters
The Independent
16-07-2025
- The Independent
Iran seizes foreign tanker smuggling 2 million litres of fuel
Iran has seized a foreign tanker accused of smuggling two million litres of fuel through the Gulf of Oman, a regional justice chief said, according to Mehr news agency. Seventeen crew members were arrested and a judicial case was opened at the Jask county prosecutor's office, Hormozgan's chief justice Mojtaba Ghahremani said. 'During the continuous process of monitoring and surveilling suspicious fuel smuggling movements in the Gulf of Oman, officers inspected a foreign tanker due to its lack of legal documents regarding its cargo and seized it on charges of carrying 2 million litres of smuggled fuel,' he added. The Gulf of Oman, southwest of Iran, is a vital shipping route for oil produced around the Persian Gulf. It is linked to the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's total oil supply passes. As the only maritime access from the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea to the Persian Gulf, security in the Gulf of Oman is a major concern for both oil importers and exporters. In the past Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz but has never followed through on the move, which would restrict trade and impact global oil prices. 'The actions of fuel smugglers, who in coordination with foreigners, attempt to plunder national wealth will not remain hidden from the judiciary and punishment of perpetrators, if their crimes are proven, will be without leniency,' Mr Ghahremani said. The name of the tanker and its registered flag have not yet been disclosed. While this information can help identify the ship's country of origin and its owners, vessels often register under foreign flags to avoid identification or bypass regulations. Fuel smuggling is an increasing problem for Iran, which has some of the world's lowest fuel prices due to subsidies and a sharp decline in the value of its national currency Three vessels, two in 2023 and one in 2024, were seized by Iran near or in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Reuters. Some of the seizures followed US seizures of tankers related to Iran.
The National
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Iran seizes foreign tanker in Gulf of Oman
A foreign tanker suspected of smuggling two million litres of fuel has been seized by Iran in the Gulf of Oman, Iranian media reported on Wednesday. The semi-official Mehr news agency quoted the chief justice of Iran's Hormozgan province as saying the ship was inspected 'due to incomplete legal documentation for its cargo'. It was then seized on suspicion of carrying illicit fuel. Mojtaba Ghahremani said 17 crew members, including the ship's captain, were arrested and a judicial case had been opened by prosecutors. Mehr did not provide any further information on the ship such as its owner or nationality. Authorities were 'collecting evidence to determine the exact volume of the fuel cargo, conducting sampling and laboratory tests, and verifying the vessel's documentation', the news agency said. Iran, which has some of the world's lowest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies, has been fighting fuel smuggling by land to neighbouring countries and by sea to Gulf Arab states. Last year President Masoud Pezeshkian said there was 'no rationality' in fuel prices in Iran because of the subsidies. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a US-based think tank, last month said in a report that Iran 'faces a severe energy crisis due to decades of mismanagement, excessive subsidies, corruption, and international sanctions'. Mr Ghahremani said on Wednesday there would be no leniency for fuel smugglers. 'The actions of fuel smugglers, who in co-ordination with foreigners attempt to plunder national wealth, will not remain hidden from the judiciary, and punishment of perpetrators, if their crimes are proven, will be without leniency,' he was quoted by Mehr as saying.
Arab News
16-07-2025
- Arab News
Iran seizes foreign tanker for smuggling 2 million liters of fuel
DUBAI: A foreign tanker was seized by Iran in the Gulf of Oman for smuggling 2 million liters of fuel, the chief justice of Hormozgan province said on Wednesday, according to Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency. 'During the continuous process of monitoring and surveilling suspicious fuel smuggling movements in the Gulf of Oman, officers inspected a foreign tanker due to its lack of legal documents regarding its cargo and seized it on charges of carrying 2 million liters of smuggled fuel,' Hormozgan's Chief Justice Mojtaba Ghahremani said, according to the report. The judiciary official added that 17 crew members were arrested and that a judicial case was opened at the Jask county prosecutor's office. There was no additional information regarding the name of the tanker or the flag to which it is registered. Iran, which has some of the world's lowest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies and the plunge in the value of its national currency, has been fighting rampant fuel smuggling by land to neighboring countries and by sea to Gulf Arab states. 'The actions of fuel smugglers, who in coordination with foreigners, attempt to plunder national wealth will not remain hidden from the judiciary and punishment of perpetrators, if their crimes are proven, will be without leniency,' Ghahremani said, according to the report.
