Iran has seized an oil tanker carrying six million litres of diesel fuel in the Gulf of Oman, detaining 18 crew members, Iranian state media reported on Tuesday. The seizure comes a day after the United States Coast Guard took control of a vessel allegedly linked to Iran and Hezbollah, underscoring rising tensions in key global shipping lanes.
Iran’s Fars News Agency, citing an official in the southern province of Hormozgan, said the tanker had disabled its navigation and tracking systems before being intercepted by Iranian naval forces. Authorities alleged the vessel was transporting fuel illegally.
The tanker was carrying 18 crew members from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, according to Iranian officials. No injuries were reported during the operation, and the crew has been detained pending further investigation. Details about the ship’s flag state and destination were not immediately disclosed.
Iran frequently announces the interception of vessels it accuses of fuel smuggling, particularly in waters near the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. Fuel prices in Iran remain among the lowest in the world due to state subsidies, making the illegal export of diesel and petrol highly lucrative.
Last month, Iranian authorities seized another tanker carrying what they described as an unauthorised fuel cargo, denying at the time that the action was connected to diplomatic or military developments.
The latest incident follows a series of maritime confrontations involving Iran in recent years. In November, Tehran confirmed the seizure of the Marshall Islands–flagged tanker Talara in the Strait of Hormuz, alleging it was transporting an illegal shipment of petrochemical products bound for Singapore. The operation was carried out under a court order, according to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Previous incidents include limpet mine attacks on commercial vessels in 2019, drone strikes on tankers in 2021 that killed two crew members, and the seizure of Greek- and Portuguese-flagged tankers in 2022 and 2024.
The Iranian seizure comes just two days after the United States took control of a tanker off Venezuela’s coast. Washington said the vessel was part of a sanctioned oil-shipping network moving crude from Venezuela and Iran to support Hezbollah and the IRGC. The US Coast Guard boarded the ship using a helicopter operation, and officials said the tanker would be escorted to Galveston, Texas, where its crew would be released.
Venezuela’s government condemned the US action as “international piracy,” with President Nicolas Maduro accusing Washington of violating free trade.
The Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz are critical maritime routes through which about 20% of the world’s oil trade passes. The US Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet maintains a presence in the region to protect commercial shipping, as tensions continue to simmer over sanctions enforcement and energy exports.
The seizure highlights the ongoing risks faced by commercial vessels and international crews operating in strategically sensitive waters amid escalating geopolitical rivalries.
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