Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy announced on Sunday it had intercepted an Eswatini-flagged vessel in the Persian Gulf, claiming the ship was transporting roughly 350,000 liters of smuggled gasoil. According to IRGC Navy Second Naval Zone commander Heydar Honarian-Mojarrad, the vessel was taken into custody under a judicial order and brought to the coast of Bushehr for offloading. The 13 crew members were reported to be from India and another nearby country.
Iran has frequently reported actions against fuel-smuggling operations, a phenomenon linked by officials to subsidized domestic prices and economic pressures that incentivize trafficking to nearby states. Authorities did not release information regarding the vessel’s owner, its recent movements, or what would happen to the crew following the seizure.
The announcement came after authorities near Kish stated that two boats carrying a total of 80,000 liters of fuel were stopped days earlier. Prosecutors said the craft had been altered with additional deck tanks to move fuel out of Iran.
Officials said efforts to disrupt smuggling routes would continue. Earlier this month, the IRGC reported taking control of a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker off the Makran coast in the Gulf of Oman after maritime security groups noted small boats directing the ship toward Iranian waters.
Tehran maintains that such operations are carried out under court authorization to block unlawful transfers. Western officials and shipping sources have accused Iran of using maritime enforcement in broader regional and sanctions-related disputes.
Iran’s coastline and the Strait of Hormuz overlook one of the world’s key energy passages, where Iranian forces have increased patrols, describing the moves as measures to defend national interests and restrict smuggling activities.