IRGC seizes 23 foreign ships in Persian Gulf

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced that it has detained a number of foreign ships in the Gulf waters, as part of an operation to stop fuel smuggling.
Ali Reza Tungsiri, commander of the naval forces in the Revolutionary Guards, said on a  program with Iranian television that “23 foreign ships are being held with us,” and described the reason for their detainment as ‘smuggling’, without providing further details about the ownership of the ships and their cargo.
He only said that the confiscation of the ships was to combat smuggling.
Turning his attention to the recent drone footage of the U.S. warship in the Strait of Hormuz, he said that the Revolutionary Guards had previously spotted the U.S.S. Nimitz aircraft carrier and its combat group five days ago, before entering the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf waters.
He added that the Revolutionary Guard is able to monitor all maritime movements in the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf waters and the Sea of ​​Oman via its drones.
Meanwhile, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced the joining of 188 domestically-made drones and helicopters to the guards’ navy fleet.
The Naval Forces Command of the Revolutionary Guard said that these aircraft will provide the ability to monitor marine movements in the area of ​​the Guard’s presence and use them in operations carried out by the Revolutionary Guard Navy.
It added that 3 drones were unveiled capable of taking off and landing vertically, and another drone called “Muhajir”, which is able to travel more than 200 km and carry out missions in difficult weather conditions.