Iran Seizes Cook Islands Tanker Phoenix in Gulf of Oman

Iranian border guards seized the Cook Islands-flagged tanker Phoenix in the Gulf of Oman on August 11. Seventeen crew were detained. The tanker was found carrying more than 2 million litres of diesel. Iran says it was smuggled fuel.

The operation relied on aerial and electronic surveillance. Forces intercepted the tanker inside Iran's exclusive waters near the port of Jask, east of Hormozgan province. All 17 crew, nationals of four countries, were transferred ashore for legal proceedings.

The cargo was valued at roughly 759 billion rials, about $840,000. Iran's border forces have carried out several seizures in Gulf of Oman waters this year, citing persistent fuel price differences with neighbouring countries as the main cause.