Iran seizes an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz

Iran has seized a foreign oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz

TEHRAN, Iran — TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran seized a foreign oil tanker as it traveled the strategic Strait of Hormuz, state media said Friday.

Mojtaba Ghahramani, a provincial chief of the justice department, said the oil tanker was carrying some 4 million liters, or 25,000 barrels, of smuggled fuel when the Revolutionary Guard naval forces seized the vessel, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Ghahramani said the forces also detained 16 foreign crew members of the tanker, adding that the seizure was a remarkable “blow “ to smugglers. He did not disclose the nationality of the crew or the flag of the tanker.

Iran occasionally seizes oil-carrying vessels over similar charges in the region. In November, Iran seized a ship as it traveled through the narrow Strait of Hormuz over what it said were violations, including carrying an illegal consignment.

The West has blamed Iran for a series of limpet mine attacks on vessels that damaged tankers