IRGC Navy has seized two fuel smuggling vessels in the Persian Gulf.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy has announced the seizure of two fuel smuggling vessels near Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf.

In a statement released on Thursday, IRGC said during the operation, more than one million liters of smuggled fuel were discovered aboard the two vessels.

The statement added that 15 foreign crew members were detained and handed over to judicial authorities for legal proceedings.

The vessels had reportedly been operating as part of an organized fuel smuggling network over recent months.

The IRGC Navy said the operation was carried out following intelligence monitoring, surveillance, and tracking by its naval forces, which led to the identification and seizure of the vessels.

Iran has stepped up efforts to curb the smuggling of its oil products in the Persian Gulf. The 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.

Officials in Iran assert that intensified efforts to combat fuel smuggling have dealt a serious blow to organized smuggling networks and their financial resources.