Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized an oil tanker in the Gulf on Wednesday, AFP reported, citing Iranian state media.
The IRGC claimed the vessel was carrying "smuggled fuel" and foreign crew members.
According to state television, the ship was transporting "4 million litres of smuggled fuel with 16 non-Iranian crew members on board," citing navy commander General Abbas Gholamshahi.
“Forces from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) boarded the ship ... as it was leaving Iranian territorial waters,” he said.
The report did not specify which flag the tanker was flying.
Iranian forces frequently announce the interception of vessels accused of illicit fuel transport in the Gulf. The IRGC has repeatedly targeted tankers it claims are linked to fuel smuggling operations in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor for global oil and liquefied natural gas trade.
Wednesday's operation marks the latest in a series of similar incidents in recent weeks. Earlier in December, Iranian authorities seized a tanker in the Gulf of Oman carrying 18 crew members from India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. That seizure occurred just days after the United States detained an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast.
Last month, Iran seized another oil tanker in Gulf waters “for carrying an unauthorized cargo,” and in November, the IRGC confirmed it had taken control of a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker in the same region.
Iran has previously used threats to disrupt maritime transit and halt cooperation on drug interdiction as leverage in nuclear disputes with the West.
The Islamic Republic has threatened more than once to close the Strait of Hormuz in recent years.
The United States has warned Iran in response that any attempt to close the strait would be viewed as a "red line" -- grounds for US military action.