Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a group labeled as a terrorist outfit by the U.S., just nabbed an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf for allegedly smuggling diesel.
Breitbart reported that Iran’s IRGC seized an Eswatini-flagged vessel on Thursday, accusing it of trafficking 0.35 million liters of diesel, while just hours later, Iran slammed the U.S. for grabbing a tanker off Venezuela’s coast, sparking a heated exchange of piracy claims.
The drama kicked off when the IRGC, known for its hardline tactics, boarded the vessel in the Persian Gulf, claiming it was part of a broader scheme to siphon Iranian oil for sale abroad.
General Heidar Honarian of the IRGC revealed that 13 crew members, hailing from India and a neighboring unnamed country, were detained during the operation.
Iranian state media, including Tasnim News Agency, reported the ship was loaded with motor fuels destined for Arab states where prices are reportedly 20 times higher than in Iran.
“These products, mainly motor fuels, are illegally shipped to Arab states in the region, where fuel prices can be more than 20 times higher than those inside Iran,” Tasnim News Agency noted. Well, if true, that’s a profit margin that could tempt even the most law-abiding sailor, but it doesn’t excuse skirting international norms.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the U.S. made its own waves by seizing what President Donald Trump called the “largest tanker ever seized in action” off Venezuela’s coast.
Attorney General Pam Bondi detailed that the operation, involving the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Coast Guard, targeted a ship sanctioned for years over ties to foreign terrorist groups and illicit oil networks supporting Venezuela and Iran.
“Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran,” Bondi stated. If that’s not a bold move to choke off rogue funding, what is?
Not surprisingly, Iran’s embassy in Caracas fired back, branding the U.S. action as “piracy” and a breach of international law, though they stayed mum on their own role in the mess.
On the flip side, the U.S. Central Command has long criticized IRGC seizures as violations of international law, calling for Iran to justify its naval stunts while pledging to maintain regional stability.
Let’s be real—both sides are pointing fingers, but when a designated terrorist group like the IRGC is boarding ships, it’s hard to take their moral outrage seriously.
Back in Iran, police chief Brigadier General Ahmadreza Radan boasted about recent operations, including the November seizure of the Marshall Islands-flagged Talara in the Strait of Hormuz, which reportedly carried high-sulphur gasoil fuel.
Radan claimed these efforts saved 230 million liters of smuggled fuel over eight months, citing “targeted planning” and “intelligence oversight” against organized smuggling rings near borders with Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkey.
While Iran’s push to curb smuggling might sound noble, using military force in international waters raises eyebrows—especially when the U.S. argues these actions threaten the free flow of commerce and global stability.
