Iran’s latest tanker hijacking exposes its lawless aggression, destabilizing global trade while empowering terrorism across the region.
Iran has once again amplified regional instability by seizing an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, Iranian state media announced early Saturday — a move widely viewed as part of Tehran’s escalating campaign of maritime piracy.
According to the Fars news agency, Iranian forces boarded a vessel carrying nearly six million litres of diesel, claiming it was “contraband fuel.” The tanker reportedly had 18 crew members from India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh — now effectively held under Iranian control. Officials from the Hormozgan province claimed the tanker had switched off its navigation systems, a standard Iranian accusation used to justify maritime hijackings.
Iranian forces frequently announce such seizures, using accusations of fuel smuggling as a pretext to take over ships transiting strategic waterways. With Iran maintaining some of the lowest domestic fuel prices in the world, smugglers do attempt to profit from price differences — but Tehran’s pattern of targeted, politically convenient interceptions suggests the regime uses maritime operations to project power, intimidate trade routes, and disrupt global markets.
This latest seizure comes only weeks after Iran intercepted another tanker under the vague claim of “unauthorized cargo,” an explanation dismissed by analysts who view such actions as coercive or retaliatory. The timing is notable: just two days earlier, the United States seized a tanker carrying Venezuelan and Iranian oil in violation of sanctions. Washington confirmed the transport was tied to networks associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hezbollah, both internationally recognized terror sponsors.
The IRGC’s maritime branch has repeatedly used the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz to harass, hijack, and threaten commercial vessels — actions that imperil global energy routes and embolden the same terror proxies that target Israel and Western allies.
While Iran claims the tanker carried “smuggled fuel,” critics argue that Tehran continues weaponizing maritime law enforcement to extend its regional reach, evade sanctions, and reinforce a shadow economy that bankrolls extremist groups from Gaza to Lebanon.
As the regime deepens cooperation with Venezuela and other anti-Western partners, Iran’s escalating piracy further underscores why Israel, the US, and regional allies view Tehran as the central engine of Middle Eastern destabilization.
