A foreign oil tanker carrying over 11 million liters of diesel fuel was seized by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, according to Iranian media.
21 crew members on the oil tanker were arrested and referred to the judicial system, according to IRGC General Abbas Gholamshahi.
The general claimed that the tanker was used by an organized smuggling gang and collected the fuel from light vessels.
"This offending oil tanker was under the observation of intelligent intelligence and after the complete delivery of the smuggled fuel from the vessels, it was seized by the brave men of the 1st Naval District of the IRGC," said Gholamshahi.
The nationality of the owners of the seized tanker was not mentioned in the report.
Iranian seizures of vessels in the Persian Gulf
Iranian forces have seized multiple oil tankers in the Persian Gulf in the past year, claiming that they were smuggling fuel or committing unspecified "violations."
In May, the IRGC seized two Greek tankers in the Gulf after the US confiscated Iranian oil off the Greek coast. The tankers were eventually released.
In September, the IRGC twice attempted to seize small unmanned vessels belonging to the US Navy.