Iran seized on Sunday an Eswatini-flagged vessel carrying 350,000 litres of smuggled fuel, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
"We seized a vessel carrying smuggled fuel in the form of gasoil and flying Swaziland's (Eswatini) flag. It was brought to Bushehr's coast following a judicial order and its content will be unloaded," a Revolutionary Guards navy commander said, adding the vessel's 13 crew were from India and one neighbouring country.
Iran, which has some of the world's lowest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies and the plunge in the value of its national currency, has been fighting rampant fuel smuggling by land to neighbouring countries and by sea to Gulf Arab states.
Iran seizes oil tankers in spate of thefts
The latest seizure comes less than two weeks after Iran released the 21 member crew of the Marshall Islands-flagged fuel product tanker Talara, which was taken by the regime in early November.
Iranian state-run television read a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stating that "the tanker was in violation for carrying unauthorized cargo."
Talara had been en route to Singapore from the United Arab Emirates when Iran's Revolutionary Guards intercepted it. The manager had lost contact with the vessel, which was loaded with high-sulfur gasoil, approximately 20 nautical miles off the coast of the UAE town of Khor Fakkan.
The vessel was released at 0442 local (0112 GMT) on November 19, Columbia Shipmanagement said two weeks ago, adding that no allegations had been made against the vessel, her crew or the vessel’s managers and owners.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.