"After being assured that the foreign ship was smuggling fuel and under the order of Iranian judiciary officials, IRGC navy forces seized the vessel in a surprise operation," the statement said.
"After receiving the smuggled fuel from some Iranian small vessels, the foreign ship, which has the capacity of carrying two million liters of fuel, was to deliver its cargo to other foreign vessels far from the Iranian island," the same statement added.
IRGC also rejected some western media claims about seizing an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf by the force in the weekend, highlighting that the Iranian forces continue their security and anti-smuggling operations with ‘firmness and intelligence’ and will not hesitate in defending Iran’s national interests.
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