Iran Claims to Seize Another Oil Tanker in Gulf

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Sunday seized an unidentified foreign oil tanker in the Gulf that, according to Iranian state television, was “smuggling” fuel to Arab states. “The IRGC’s naval forces have seized a foreign oil tanker in the Gulf that was smuggling fuel for Arab countries,” it quoted Revolutionary Guards commander Ramezan Zirahi as saying. “It carried 700,000 liters of fuel. Seven sailors of different nationalities on board the tanker were detained.” The Gulf has been the scene of hostilities between the West and the Islamic Republic in recent months. The IRGC seized the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero on July 19, apparently in response to British forces stopping the Iranian supertanker Grace 1 in the Strait of Gibraltar on July 4 for alleged violation of sanctions against Syria. Washington and Tehran nearly exchanged fire in June after the Islamic Republic shot down a US drone, alleging it was in its airspace. In May, ships belonging to American allies – Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, in particular – were sabotaged in the region, allegedly by Iran.