The large seizure disrupts an important supply line for both Tehran and Caracas, which have defied US sanctions, the United States said.

"With the help of foreign partners, this seized property is now in US custody," the US Department of Justice said in a statement, according to the news agency Reuters.

According to the United States, approximately 1.1 million barrels of fuel were confiscated from the four tankers, making it the largest U.S. seizure ever of Iranian fuel. It is not stated when, where and how the seizure took place.

sanctions

The United States has imposed sanctions on both countries for restricting their oil exports and depriving them of their main source of income. It is an attempt to limit Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's influence and influence the Iranian government's policies, the news agency Reuters reports.

Tensions between Iran and the United States and a number of European countries increased last year after a series of incidents involving shipping in and near the Persian Gulf.

Niklas Granholm, research leader at the Swedish Defense Research Agency (FOI) then judged that it was acts of war.