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Iran seizes two foreign-flagged tankers alleged carrying smuggled fuel

TEHRAN, Dec 6 (KUNA) -- Iran announced on Wednesday the seizure of foreign-flagged two ships carrying smuggled fuel in its territorial waters south of the Arabian Gulf, with foreign sailors on board.
The Iranian official news agency quoted the Revolutionary Guards' naval forces as saying, "Two ships carrying 4.5 million liters of smuggled fuel were detained south of the Arabian Gulf and were handed over to the judicial authorities to take legal measures." The Revolutionary Guard affirmed, "One of the two ships was carrying two million and 280,000 liters of smuggled fuel and had 13 foreign sailors on board, and the second ship was carrying approximately two million and 300,000 liters of fuel and had 21 foreign sailors on board." Iran suffers of fuel smuggling, which is considered among the cheapest in the world, by land and sea to neighboring countries, which forces it to detain ships that smuggle its fuel out of the country. (end) mw.aa