Iran Guards seize foreign oil tanker

Tehran, July 18 

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday they had detained a “foreign tanker” and its crew for allegedly smuggling fuel in the Gulf.

The tanker was seized on Sunday “south of the (Iranian) island of Larak” in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the force’s Sepahnews website said. The guards did not detail the name or provenance of the vessel.

“With a capacity of two million barrels and 12 foreign crew on board, the vessel was en route to deliver contraband fuel received from Iranian boats to foreign ships in farther regions when it was intercepted,” the force said. The announcement comes two days after Iran said it had come to the aid of a foreign tanker after receiving a distress call -- making no mention of the vessel being seized.

“Iranian forces approached it and using a tugboat brought it into Iranian waters for necessary repairs,” foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said. — AFP 

Crude prices rise by 1%

Oil prices rose about 1 per cent on Thursday after Iran said it had seized a foreign oil tanker in the Gulf amid rising tensions between Tehran and the West over the safety of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital gateway for energy exports