Oil Tanker Tensions: The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy seized two foreign oil tankers on Thursday near Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf, accusing the ships of smuggling fuel and the seizure is the latest escalation of tensions in a region that is critical to the global supply of oil.
NEW | The IRGC has often used such seizures to assert control over regional waters and send a strong message against smuggling and foreign presence.
This latest move once again shows that Tehran wants to reinforce its claim of maritime sovereignty in the Persian Gulf.
The… pic.twitter.com/TBLsQMy5Vi
— Aditya Kumar Trivedi (@adityasvlogs) February 5, 2026
Details of the Seizure
According to Iranian state media, the two tankers were carrying an estimated 1 million liters of fuel, including diesel fuel, which is equivalent to 6,300 barrels. All 15 crew members on board the tankers are currently in judicial custody and the nationalities of the crew members and the flags of the tankers were not disclosed in the report.
Past Incidents in the Region
Iran has a history of intercepting vessels in the Persian Gulf. In December, Iran seized a foreign tanker that was passing through the Strait of Hormuz, taking 16 members of the tanker’s crew hostage. This is not the first time that Iran has seized a foreign vessel and Iran did so in November as well.
Strategic Significance of Farsi Island
Farsi Island is located at a strategic point in the Persian Gulf, very close to the oil shipping routes. Taking control of this area would enable Iran to monitor and intercept the tankers more easily. It was intelligence and sea surveillance that were cited as the prime reasons for the recent operation.
Strait of Hormuz Escalating Tensions
Ezzatollah Zarghami, a former Iranian minister, threatened that “the Strait of Hormuz will be the site of massacre and hell for the US,” emphasizing the Iranian government’s persistent крит rhetoric against Western naval presence in the Strait of Hormuz such aggressive rhetoric only adds to the concern of a possible maritime conflict.
Ezzatollah Zarghami, former head of Iran’s state broadcasting organization and former minister, threatens the Americans:
“The Strait of Hormuz will be a killing field and a hell for the Americans. Iran will show that the Strait of Hormuz has historically belonged to Iran.
The… pic.twitter.com/8EbFGWXT9L
— The Middle Eastern (@TMiddleEastern) February 5, 2026
The West has also accused Iran of attacks on oil tankers including the 2019 limpet mine attacks and the 2021 drone strike that killed two European members of the crew. These events followed the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear agreement in 2015, which increased instability in the region.
