TEHRAN, April 22 (Xinhua) -- The Navy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has seized two foreign vessels carrying 1.5 million liters of smuggled fuel, official news agency IRNA reported Tuesday.

The ships were smuggling diesel worth 700 billion Iranian rials (about 875,000 U.S. dollars in the parallel market) at the maritime border of Iran's southern Bushehr province, IRNA quoted Masoud Foroutan, deputy commander of the IRGC Navy's 2nd Division, as saying, without specifying the date of the seizure.

He said the two Tanzania-flagged vessels were about to leave Iran's territorial waters when they were confiscated near Farsi Island.

Foroutan identified the ships as "Sea Ranger" and "SALAMA," adding that 25 foreign crew members were on board the vessels.

He noted that the vessels were transferred to the Port of Bushehr, and the fuel they intended to smuggle out of the country would be handed over to the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company following legal procedures.

According to the military official, the IRGC Navy has seized 4.5 million liters of smuggled fuel in the country's southern waters since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year, which started on March 21, 2025.

With the government subsidy on fuel prices in Iran, smuggling fuel out of the country is a lucrative racket. Over the past few years, Iranian naval forces have seized a large number of ships with smuggled fuel on board. Enditem

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