---
title: "Iran seizes tanker with 900 tons of 'smuggled fuel' - Fars news"
description: "DUBAI, July 7 (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized a tanker holding 900 metric tons of \"smuggled fuel\" and 12 crew members based on a court order, a report by the semi-official Fars news agency said on Friday."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-07-07-iran-seizes-tanker-with-900-tons-of-smuggled-fuel-fars-news/"
published: "2023-07-07T04:51:20"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 135
---

# Iran seizes tanker with 900 tons of 'smuggled fuel' - Fars news

> DUBAI, July 7 (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized a tanker holding 900 metric tons of "smuggled fuel" and 12 crew members based on a court order, a report by the semi-official Fars news agency said on Friday.

By Reuters · Published 7 July 2023, 06:51 SAST

## Key points
- Iran's Revolutionary Guards have seized a vessel carrying 900 tons of smuggled fuel in the Persian Gulf, as the country continues to battle rampant fuel smuggling.
- 900 tons of smuggled fuel seized by Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Navy patrol vessels in the Persian Gulf.
- Subsidised fuel prices and devalued currency has led to rampant fuel smuggling in Iran.
- British maritime security company Ambrey reported attempted seizure of a Tanzanian flagged tanker near Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
- Iranian forces have been actively trying to curb fuel smuggling.

## Content

"A vessel carrying 900 tons of smuggled fuel with 12 crew members was seized by the Revolutionary Guards' Navy patrol vessels in the Persian Gulf with a court order," Fars news reported from Iran's southern port of Bandar Abbas.

No further detail about the ship has been given.

Iran, which has some of the world's cheapest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies and the plunge in the value of its national currency, has been fighting rampant fuel smuggling by land to neighbouring countries and by sea to Gulf Arab states.

British maritime security company Ambrey said on Thursday it was aware of an [attempted seizure](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N38S1YW&linkedFromStory=true) by Iranian forces of a small Tanzanian flagged tanker, around 59 nautical miles northeast of the Saudi Arabian port city of Dammam.

(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)