عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Iran Seizes Vessel Carrying Smuggled Fuel

An archival photo published on the Iranian army website shows a warship in the Arabian Gulf (AFP)
An archival photo published on the Iranian army website shows a warship in the Arabian Gulf (AFP)
TT
TT

Iran Seizes Vessel Carrying Smuggled Fuel

An archival photo published on the Iranian army website shows a warship in the Arabian Gulf (AFP)
An archival photo published on the Iranian army website shows a warship in the Arabian Gulf (AFP)

The Iranian naval authorities seized a vessel carrying smuggled fuel in the Arabian Gulf.

The Iranian Fars news agency quoted the Chief of Justice of Hormozgan, Mojtaba Ghahremani, saying that the coast guard of Qeshm Island, located in the Arabian Gulf, detected and seized the vessel carrying 277,000 liters of smuggled fuel.

Ghahremani pointed out that the ship was destined for a littoral state of the Arabian Gulf, adding that the smugglers covered the vessel's hull with barbed wire to prevent its seizure.

He explained that the operation was thwarted after intelligence monitoring, cooperation, and coordination with the coast guard.

The official revealed that all 12 crew onboard the ship had been arrested and undergoing legal procedures.

Iran repeatedly announces the arrest of vessels smuggling fuel in its waters.

Meanwhile, news agencies quoted a military official saying that an Iranian navy flotilla thwarted an overnight attack on an Iranian vessel in the Red Sea.

The deputy head of the navy's operations, Rear Admiral Mustafa Tajeddini, said that the escort flotilla of the naval arm of Iran's armed forces, headed by the destroyer Jamaran was promptly deployed to the scene after responding to a distress call from an Iranian ship in the Red Sea.

Tajeddini said that the flotilla engaged with the attacking boats and "thanks to the effective [naval] presence and after heavy exchanges, the attacking boats made off."

He did not provide additional details about the target ship or the parties behind the attack.

The Iranian navy announced that in November 2021, pirates attempted to seize an Iranian oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden.

Like other countries that depend on navigation through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, Iran stepped up its naval presence in the Aden Gulf after a wave of attacks by Somalia-based pirates between 2000 and 2011. The number of attacks has fallen sharply in recent years.

Somali pirates are often behind the attacks.

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed that piracy attempts dropped in the past years in light of the measures taken by several countries to secure navigation.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Seoul: 'At Least 100 North Koreans Killed' Fighting for Russia

South Korea's spy agency has said there are signs Kim Jong Un is planning a fresh deployment of forces for fighting in Russia's war with Ukraine. STR / KCNA VIA KNS/AFP
South Korea's spy agency has said there are signs Kim Jong Un is planning a fresh deployment of forces for fighting in Russia's war with Ukraine. STR / KCNA VIA KNS/AFP
TT
TT

Seoul: 'At Least 100 North Koreans Killed' Fighting for Russia

South Korea's spy agency has said there are signs Kim Jong Un is planning a fresh deployment of forces for fighting in Russia's war with Ukraine. STR / KCNA VIA KNS/AFP
South Korea's spy agency has said there are signs Kim Jong Un is planning a fresh deployment of forces for fighting in Russia's war with Ukraine. STR / KCNA VIA KNS/AFP

At least 100 North Koreans deployed to support Russia's war effort in Ukraine have been killed since entering combat in December, South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun told reporters Thursday.
Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to reinforce the Russian military, including to the Kursk border region, where Ukrainian forces seized territory earlier this year.
"In December, they (North Korean troops) engaged in actual combat, during which at least 100 fatalities occurred," Lee said, speaking after a briefing by South Korea's spy agency.
"The National Intelligence Service also reported that the number of injured is expected to reach nearly 1,000."
Despite those losses, the agency also said it had detected signs North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was preparing to train a new special operations force to ship westward, AFP reported.
Lee noted that the North's elite Storm Corps -- from which the initial deployment was drawn -- had "the capacity to send reinforcements".
The NIS also predicted "that Russia might offer reciprocal benefits" for a new deployment, Lee said, including "modernizing North Korea's conventional weaponry".
The lawmaker added that "several North Korean casualties" had already been attributed to Ukrainian missile and drone attacks and training accidents, with the highest ranking "at least at the level of a general".
The NIS said the high number of casualties could be attributed to the "unfamiliar battlefield environment, where North Korean forces are being utilized as expendable frontline assault units, and their lack of capability to counter drone attacks," said Lee.
Burden or asset?
"Within the Russian military, complaints have reportedly surfaced that the North Korean troops, due to their lack of knowledge about drones, are more of a burden than an asset," Lee said.
His comments follow a senior US military official on Tuesday saying North Korean forces had suffered "several hundred" casualties fighting Ukrainian troops in Russia's Kursk region.
Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky previously said North Korean troops had been at the heart of an "intensive offensive" in Kursk.
North Korea and Russia have strengthened their military ties since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. A landmark defense pact between Pyongyang and Moscow signed in June came into force earlier this month.
Experts say North Korea's Kim is keen to acquire advanced technology from Russia and battle experience for his troops.
Pyongyang on Thursday lashed out at what it called "reckless provocation" by the United States and its allies for a joint statement criticizing North Korea's support for Russia's war in Ukraine, including the deployment of troops.
A foreign ministry spokesman said the 10 nations and the European Union (EU) were "distorting and slandering" Pyongyang's "normal cooperative" ties with Moscow, according to state media.