(MENAFN) Iranian officials have confiscated a foreign oil tanker carrying upwards of 2 million liters (528,000 gallons) of fuel, accusing the vessel of smuggling, according to a report Wednesday from a state-controlled news agency.

Mojtaba Ghahremani, the judiciary chief of Iran’s Hormozgan province in the south, stated that the tanker was stopped in the Sea of Oman "due to deficiencies in the legal documents concerning the vessel’s cargo" and faces allegations of transporting illicit fuel.

Details about the ship’s nationality and its intended destination remain undisclosed at this time.

Ghahremani confirmed that seventeen individuals, including the captain and crew members, are currently detained as part of the ongoing inquiry.

Authorities are actively gathering evidence, authenticating paperwork, conducting fuel tests, and verifying the exact cargo quantity. The judiciary intends to release the findings once the investigation concludes.

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