JAKARTA: Indonesian maritime authorities seized an Iranian-flagged tanker carrying more than 200,000 metric tons of light crude oil after a suspected illegal transfer at sea, they said Tuesday.

Iran has been accused by the United States and its allies of using crowded shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf and elsewhere to circumnavigate Western sanctions on its nuclear programme.

The MT Arman 114 under the Iranian flag was “suspected of carrying out illegal transshipment activities” in Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone, the maritime security agency said in a statement.

The tanker was seized on Friday after authorities found it conducting a suspected transfer of crude oil to Cameroon-flagged ship MT S Tinos, the statement said.

“The two ships were caught red-handed carrying out crude oil transshipment activities,” it added.