The IRGC stated that the tankers were detained for fuel smuggling. During the inspection, over one million liters of fuel were found on board.
Additionally, 15 crew members were arrested and are expected to stand trial, according to information from the IRGC.
Amid tensions between Iran and the U.S., on February 3, Iranian forces attempted to seize an American tanker. On the same day, a U.S. F-35C fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that was "aggressively approaching" the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.
