Iran seizes vessel in Gulf of Oman over 'smuggled fuel' and detains crew

Iran has detained 18 crew members of a foreign tanker seized in the Gulf of Oman on Friday, claiming it was carrying smuggled fuel.

Iranian media reported on Saturday that those detained under the ongoing investigation include the captain of the tanker, which they said was carrying 6m litres of smuggled fuel.

The semi-official news agency Fars said the crew were from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and had committed multiple violations, including "ignoring stop orders, attempting to flee, (and) lacking navigation and cargo documentation".

Iran regularly announces the interception of ships in the Gulf it says are illegally transporting fuel.

Retail fuel prices in Iran are among the world's lowest, making smuggling a particularly profitable endeavour.

The seizures also come as tensions between Iran and the West have continued to mount over the country's nuclear programme.

Widespread United Nations sanctions, including an arms embargo, against Iran were reinstated in September, following the collapse of nuclear negotiations.

Omani-mediated talks between Iran and the United States collapsed in June after Israeli and US strikes on Iran, bringing diplomatic progress to a halt.

Tehran maintains that its nuclear programme is peaceful and denies any intention to develop nuclear arms.

The reimposed sanctions were a "snapback" mechanism from the 2015 nuclear agreement, which had suspended penalties in exchange for restrictions on Iran's nuclear programme.

That deal began to unravel after US President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018 and reimposed crippling US sanctions, including efforts to block Iranian oil exports, plunging Iran deeper into economic crisis.

Friday's interception also came two days after the US seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, a close ally of Iran.

The US claimed the ship's captain was transporting oil from Venezuela and Iran.