On Thursday, Iran took control of two foreign oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, alleging they were involved in fuel smuggling and holding 15 foreign crew members, just before crucial U.S.–Iran negotiations scheduled for Friday in Oman.
The naval forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated they had stopped the two vessels near Farsi Island, asserting they were transporting approximately 1 million liters of illicit fuel, reported.
Comprising 15 foreign nationals, the crew members were detained and referred to Iran’s judicial authorities, as reported by Iranian state media.
The IRGC claimed the ships belonged to a structured fuel-smuggling operation that had been active in the area for several months.
Iranian authorities indicated that the vessels were detected via intelligence surveillance and captured during synchronized naval missions in the Persian Gulf, a critical channel for worldwide energy trade.
Per , Iranian authorities described the operation as a major blow to illegal fuel smuggling, though they did not immediately release the vessels’ nationalities or destinations.
These seizures occur as toward the U.S. has turned more hostile.
Ezzatollah Zarghami, previously an Iranian minister and head of state broadcasting, issued a warning, threatening violence in the , through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and petroleum product consumption transits.
“I am certain that the Strait of Hormuz will become a site of slaughter and hell for the U.S.,” Zarghami stated on Thursday.
“Iran will demonstrate that the Strait of Hormuz has historically belonged to Iran. Americans seem only capable of playing with their vessels and shifting them from one location to another.”
Zarghami later repeated the threat, calling the Strait a potential “” for American forces and signaling Iran’s willingness to escalate amid mounting regional pressure.
and Jared Kushner are set to hold discussions with Iranian representatives in Oman on Friday.
The duo is en route from Abu Dhabi following two days of negotiations concerning Russia and Ukraine.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt verified on Thursday that the Friday meeting would proceed as planned, stating “diplomacy is always [Trump’s] first option.”