Iranian authorities have seized a foreign vessel claiming that it was trying to smuggle fuel outside the country and detained the crew members.
Loaded with over 550,000 litres of smuggled fuel, the ship was seized in the Gulf waters. IRNA, the state news agency, added that it was escorted to harbour in the province of Hormozgan, where it was handed to the judicial authorities for investigation.
In recent months, several ships were detained by the Iranian authorities for smuggling fuel in the Gulf.
Due to subsidies and a sudden plunge in the value of its national currency, Iran has been fighting against rampant fuel smuggling to the neighbouring countries by land and to Gulf Arab states by sea.
