Iran seizes two foreign vessels in the Persian Gulf on fuel-smuggling charges as IRGC escorts them ashore

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy announced it has seized two foreign vessels in the Persian Gulf on charges of smuggling Iranian fuel, escorting them to the Iranian coast and arresting their crews.

The news was reported by the semi-official Iranian agency Tasnim, which cited an IRGC navy spokesman, as the specialized maritime outlet The Maritime Executive reports. According to the announcement, over the past two days the IRGC’s third naval region, stationed at the port of Mahshahr in the northern Persian Gulf, “seized two vessels attempting to smuggle the Islamic Republic’s oil and gas in an organized manner, by order of the judicial authority.”

Iranian authorities identified the vessels as the “Steven”, registered in Panama, and the “Kron”, registered in Tanzania, and said 37 crew members in total were detained and handed over “to the judicial authorities for the continuation of legal proceedings.” The two vessels, said to be carrying 1.5 million liters of fuel combined, were escorted to the port of Mahshahr.

Maritime security consultants Ambrey assessed that the vessels are small regional craft rather than large oil tankers: one appears to be an anchor-handling support vessel whose deck showed fuel hoses, pumping equipment and lubricant barrels, while the second is believed to be a small bunker vessel whose AIS signal has been switched off periodically. As The Maritime Executive notes, Iran regularly detains vessels in the Persian Gulf on charges of smuggling petroleum products — and Iran, a major oil producer with among the cheapest fuel prices in the world, encourages fuel trafficking.

The seizure comes at a tense moment for maritime traffic: the Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most dangerous zones for commercial and military navigation, while the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports continues. The IRGC navy spokesman declared that “all unlawful actions by international commercial and military vessels are monitored” and that Iranian naval forces will continue to enforce the law “with authority.”

Meanwhile, Middle East Eye also reported the seizure of the two light vessels and the arrest of dozens of people — a sign, it notes, that Tehran is tightening its maritime control just as intermediary diplomacy tries to find a way out of the seven-month U.S.-Iran war.