IRGC Seizes Foreign Ship Smuggling Fuel in Persian Gulf, Arrests 26 Crew Members

Chief Justice of Hormozgan Province Mojtaba Ghahremani made the announcement on Sunday, saying that the naval forces of the IRGC seized a foreign ship carrying smuggled fuel in the Persian Gulf.

During the inspection of the vessel, 125,000 liters of smuggled fuel were seized and 26 crew of the foreign oil tanker were also arrested, he added.

The incident comes after a series of seizures of smuggler vessels by Iranian navy forces in the sea lanes serving the Persian Gulf, where a large portion of the world’s oil is produced and shipped.

The IRGC’s Navy has also managed to several attacks on both Iranian and foreign tankers.

In May 2022, Iranian Army’s Deputy Commander for Coordination Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said that the country’s naval forces have succeeded in escorting and protecting the security of nearly 5,000 oil tankers and cargo ships so far.

The Iranian naval forces have succeeded in escorting and protecting almost 5,000 oil tankers and commercial ships in international waters since 2008, Rear Admiral Sayyari stated.

The Iranian Navy, he added, has also thwarted numerous pirate attacks to secure the safe passage of the ships in Iran’s territorial waters.

The advanced capabilities of Iran’s armed forces show the country’s great and exemplary power, Rear Admiral Sayyari stressed, adding that the country’s armed forces are “able to defend the interests of the Islamic Republic [even] at a distance of 2,500 km off Iran’s coasts”.

He said that country has managed to reach such levels of power and dominance that it will not hesitate to give the “harshest response” to even the slightest threats.

“Wherever the interests of the Islamic [Republic] are in danger, we stand firm and defend our interests,” the commander stressed.