The IRGC stated that the detained tankers were involved in fuel smuggling, and over a million liters of this resource were discovered during the inspection.
Additionally, 15 crew members were arrested and will be prosecuted, according to the IRGC.
As tensions between Iran and the U.S. escalate, on February 3, Iranian officials attempted to seize an American tanker. On the same day, a U.S. F-35C fighter jet destroyed an Iranian drone that was "aggressively approaching" the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.
