TEHRAN – Iranian border guards have seized two large fishing vessels off the coast of Chabahar carrying a significant quantity of narcotics and smuggled fuel, authorities said on Tuesday.

According to Brigadier General Reza Shojaei, commander of the Border Guard in Iran’s southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan Province, maritime forces intercepted two fishing boats within their area of responsibility after stepping up surveillance and control operations aimed at combating organized smuggling networks.

During the operation, officers discovered 59 kilograms of hashish along with approximately 34,800 liters of smuggled diesel fuel. Two suspects were arrested in connection with the case, and the vessels were taken into custody, Shojaei said.

“The fight against fuel smuggling remains a top priority, as it causes serious economic harm to the country,” the commander stated. “Our forces will respond decisively and without leniency to any suspicious or illegal activity, using enhanced intelligence and operational measures.”

Officials estimate the value of recently confiscated fuel to be around 31 billion rials (equivalent to hundreds of thousands of dollars at the informal exchange rate), which demonstrates the considerable scale and profitability of fuel smuggling operations. 

Iranian authorities, in conjunction with the Armed Forces, have intensified their enforcement efforts along border regions and coastal areas in recent years. Despite these measures, official data for 2024 indicate that approximately 25 million liters of gasoline and diesel are still smuggled out of Iran daily.

Iran has long grappled with extensive fuel smuggling, both by land and sea, primarily due to its heavily subsidized fuel prices—among the lowest globally. This significant price difference between Iranian fuel and that in neighboring countries has, for years, driven large-scale illegal fuel trafficking.