Iranian authorities detained 18 crew members of a foreign tanker seized in the Gulf of Oman yesterday that they say was carrying 6 million liters of smuggled Iranian fuel, Iranian media reports, citing the Hormozgan province judiciary.
It says those detained under the ongoing investigation include the captain of the tanker. The identity of the vessel and the nationalities of the crew members are not disclosed.
The authorities say the tanker committed multiple violations, including “ignoring stop orders, attempting to flee, (and) lacking navigation and cargo documentation.”
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.
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