Iran seizes oil tanker and detains 18 crew members

(Patria) - Iran has seized an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and detained its crew for alleged fuel smuggling, local media reported.

The head of the Supreme Court of the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan, Mojtaba Ghahremani, said the tanker was seized while sailing near the port city of Jask.

The seizure followed the discovery that the tanker was carrying six million liters of smuggled fuel, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

Ghahremani added that 18 people, including the captain and crew members, were detained.

He also noted that the tanker did not comply with orders to stop and that its radar system was turned off.

He also stated that inspections carried out on the ship revealed the absence of any documents related to maritime navigation or cargo.

"Numerous procedures constituting criminal offenses have been identified," Ghahremani said, without providing details.

He also pointed out that the crew members hold Indian, Sri Lankan, and Bangladeshi citizenship, but did not provide information about the country under whose flag the tanker was sailing.