Iranian Forces Seize Foreign Oil Tanker

Irans paramilitary Revolutionary Guard forces have seized a foreign oil tanker accused of smuggling oil with a crew of 12 Irans state TV reported Thursday just days after an oil tanker based in the United Arab Emirates disappeared off trackers in Iranian territorial waters. The Panamanian-flagged oil tanker MT Riah stopped transmitting its location overnight on Sunday near Qeshm Island which has a Revolutionary Guard base on it according to data listed on tracking site Maritime Traffic. Irans state television did not identify the seized vessel but said it was intercepted on Sunday. It said the oil tanker had 12 foreign crew members on board and was involved in smuggling some 1 million liters of fuel from Iranian smugglers to foreign customers. The report said the oil tanker was intercepted in south of Irans Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz.