Iran seizes oil tanker in Strait of Hormuz for alleged smuggling

Iran on Friday said it seized a foreign-owned oil tanker traveling through the strategic Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East. 

State-affiliated media reported Friday that Revolutionary Guard naval forces captured the vessel after determining it was illegally transporting more than 25,000 barrels of foreign oil through the strait.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces also detained 16 crewmembers from the ship, IRNA News reported. Iranian officials have not disclosed the nationality of those on board, the name of the vessel or its destination. 

The Strait of Hormuz, the southern entrance to the Persian Gulf, is one of the most traveled choke points for global energy trades, with nearly 20% of the world’s oil passing through each year. Iran’s access to the strait has let Tehran occasionally seize vessels and momentarily halt traffic. 

In November, Iranian authorities grabbed an oil tanker with a Marshall Islands flag that they accused of smuggling illicit oil through the strait. They eventually released the ship and all its crewmembers. 

The latest seizure comes as the U.S. looks to clamp down on the oil profits of rogue states like Iran and Venezuela. The U.S. Navy has imposed a blockade of Venezuela and has captured two tankers accused of transporting sanctioned oil. 

Additionally, the U.S. State Department has issued new sanctions targeting Iran’s shadow fleet of tankers that export oil to China. The punishment, part of President Trump’s “Maximum Pressure” campaign against Iran, is aimed at curbing Tehran’s oil profits, which the U.S. says are used to finance terrorism and Iran’s nuclear program.