Tipsheet

Report: Iran Has Seized Two Foreign Oil Tankers in the Persian Gulf

 Tensions have risen in the Middle East as Iran has reportedly seized to foreign-crewed oil tankers in Gulf waters.

Here's more:

Iran seized two foreign oil tankers in the Persian Gulf on Thursday, state television reported, claiming the vessels had been smuggling fuel.

The report did not provide a nationality of the tankers or say what flag they were flying under.

Gen. Heidar Honarian Mojarrad, a regional commander with the Revolutionary Guard’s navy, said the tankers had been carrying about 1 million liters of fuel (about 6,300 barrels), including diesel and were seized near Farsi island and transferred to Bushehr.

Fifteen crew members on board the two tankers are “in custody of judicial bodies,” he said, without providing their nationalities.

Iran occasionally seizes oil-carrying vessels over similar charges in the region.

Iran claims the vessels were "smuggling fuel," and this is the second time in recent months that Iran has seized oil tankers. They last seized a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz back in December, when they claimed that the vessel was also smuggling millions of liters of fuel.

The move comes as Iran faces global backlash over the ongoing massacre of anti-regime protesters in the nation. Those demonstrations began in December 2025, and reports indicate tens of thousands of Iranians have been killed, with thousands more injured.

Yesterday, President Trump said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should be "very worried" as the Islamic nation tries to rebuild its nuclear program and continues brutally repressing protesters.

The Trump administration has not released a statement on this latest development, but it's sure not to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East.