Iran has seized a foreign oil tanker near the Iranian island of Qeshm in the Gulf, saying it was carrying 4 million liters of smuggled fuel, state media reports.
Authorities do not name the vessel or disclose its nationality, and they do not say when it was seized. They say 16 foreign crew members had been detained on criminal charges.
Iranian news websites publish video footage and photographs of what they say is the seized tanker.
Iran said last week it had seized another foreign tanker carrying 6 million litres of what it described as smuggled diesel in the Gulf of Oman without identifying the vessel or its nationality.
Iran, which has some of the world’s lowest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies and a sharp fall in the value of its national currency, has been seeking to curb widespread fuel smuggling by land to neighboring countries and by sea to Gulf states.
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