A foreign-registered ship smuggling fuel out of the Gulf has been seized and its crew arrested by the Iranian naval forces according to reports by state media.

General Ramazan Zirahi in the Iranian Revolution Guard Corps revealed to state media that "A foreign vessel carrying 757,000 liters of smuggled fuel has been seized," noting that “The seven crew members, who are foreign nationals, have been arrested and handed over to judicial authorities." General Zirahi made no mention of the nationalities of these foreign nationals, the time the vessel was seized, or the flag it sailed under.

Iran has declared numerous operations in recent months that are intended to combat petroleum smuggling in the Gulf, which is where a significant portion of the world's oil is produced and transported.

Earlier in September

An Iranian naval flotilla briefly seized two American military unmanned research vessels in the Red Sea before releasing them, Iranian state media reported on September 2nd.

The Iranian navy's "Jamaran destroyer encountered several American military unmanned research vessels on the international shipping route on Thursday while carrying out a counter-terrorism mission in the Red Sea," Iranian state TV said.

It added that the flotilla, "after warning an American destroyer twice, seized the two drone vessels to prevent possible accidents."

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