Shafaq News/Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) has seized two foreign-owned tankers accusedof diesel fuel smuggling in the central Persian Gulf, Iranian state-linkedmedia reported on Sunday. The vessels, identified as Star 1 and Vintage, wereintercepted earlier in the day, and their crews were detained.
The Tasnimnews agency, citing Revolutionary Guard officials, said a naval operation ledto the capture of the tankers, which were allegedly transporting 3 millionliters of diesel. The vessels are being taken to the Bushehr oil dock, wherethe fuel will be offloaded under judicial supervision. Western media reportssuggest one of the ships is linked to interests in the United Arab Emirates(UAE).
Iran hasfrequently accused foreign vessels of smuggling fuel, but officials say thelatest incident involves smuggling on a larger scale. The authorities claim thetankers were part of a broader network diverting oil from Iran and wereidentified through intelligence monitoring at Bushehr port.
Iranianauthorities have intensified efforts to combat fuel smuggling in recent months.Last week, border police seized a ship carrying 1 million liters of smuggledoil in the Persian Gulf. Officials estimate that 25-30 million liters of fuelare smuggled out of Iran daily.
Meanwhile,reports indicate that a second cargo ship carrying raw materials for rocketfuel arrived in Iran from China on March 29. The shipment, after processing,could provide solid fuel for up to 250 medium- or short-range rockets.
Iran’sheavily subsidized fuel prices contribute to smuggling. Diesel costs 3,000rials ($0.003) per liter for limited monthly quotas and 6,000 rials per literfor unrestricted use by truck drivers and heavy machinery operators. Reportsindicate that large volumes of gas oil, a type of diesel fuel, have beendiverted from Iranian power plants to neighboring countries.
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