Barran Press
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has seized a second oil tanker in the Gulf in less than a week, detaining its crew of nine on charges of fuel smuggling, the IRGC's news website, Sepah News, reported on Friday.
The IRGC said the tanker, named "Pearl J" and flying the Togolese flag, was confiscated "under a judicial order" on Friday morning. The vessel, owned by an Iraqi resident of Dubai, was carrying 700,000 liters of fuel, according to the IRGC statement.
The tanker was apprehended near the disputed "Arish" oil field, claimed by both Iran and Kuwait, while allegedly loading smuggled fuel from Iranian ships, the IRGC said. The vessel and its Indian crew were transported to Imam Khomeini port and are under surveillance.
This latest seizure follows a similar incident on July 22nd, when the IRGC confiscated another Togolese-flagged tanker and detained its 12-member crew on suspicion of fuel smuggling. The fate of that vessel and its crew remains unclear, according to Agence France-Presse.
The IRGC regularly announces the seizure of fuel-carrying vessels in the Gulf. In late January, Iran detained a vessel carrying two million liters of fuel, alleging it was smuggled. In May, Iran released seven crew members of a Portuguese-flagged container ship detained on April 13th after accusing them of ties to Israel.
Fuel prices in Iran are among the lowest in the world, making smuggling operations highly profitable, according to the International Energy Agency.