Iran seizes Togo-flagged oil tanker in Persian Gulf for 'fuel smuggling'

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on Monday announced the seizure of an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf over claims of "smuggling fuel".

In a statement, the IRGC said the oil tanker was flying the Togolese flag and was seized off the coast of Bushehr in southwestern Iran.

It claimed that the tanker was carrying 1.5 million liters of smuggled fuel.

The IRGC noted that the seizure of the oil tanker and its twelve crew members -- from Indian and Sri Lankan nationalities -- was based on an Iranian judicial decision.

Iranian naval forces have, on many occasions in recent years, seized foreign-flagged vessels in the waters of the Persian Gulf for alleged fuel smuggling or violations of maritime rules.