Iran says it uncovered 130 fuel smuggling depots in Tehran

Iran says it has dismantled 130 fuel smuggling depots and arrested 41 key suspects in Tehran province, the capital’s judiciary chief announced on Sunday.

Ali Alghasimehr said authorities have seized over 600,000 liters of smuggled fuel, describing the network as highly organized and large-scale.

He said intelligence and security services played a crucial role in the crackdown which targeted illegal fuel storage sites mainly in southern and western Tehran.

Last December, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said that 20 to 30 million liters of fuel are smuggled out of the country daily, calling it a catastrophe amid the country's energy crisis.

Pezeshkian did not specify the destinations but fuel smuggling in Iran often involves routes to neighboring countries where fuel prices are significantly higher.

In December, Reuters reported that a sophisticated oil smuggling network generating at least $1 billion a year for Iran and its proxies has flourished in Iraq since Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani took office in 2022.