Five Killed Following Police Pursuit of Fuel Smuggler Vehicle in Hormozgan

Human rights sources report that five people, including two fuel smugglers, were killed following a police chase of a fuel vehicle in Minab, Hormozgan Province. The Baloch Activists Campaign reported on Saturday, August 4, with images from the incident on Telegram, stating: 'Police forces pursued the fuel vehicle with a personal Hilux, leading to a collision with a Samand vehicle carrying a family, which caught fire.' This media outlet announced that two of the deceased were fuel smugglers and three others were passengers in the Samand, members of a family. The human rights media outlet Halosh also reported that police officers fled the scene after the incident 'without paying attention to the occupants of the two vehicles or helping the injured.' This media noted that after the incident, 'local people' protested by blocking the road, and 'after hours, riot police intervened and dispersed the protesting crowd.' So far, police officials have not commented on this matter, and the identities of the deceased citizens have not been officially released. Images published from the incident show the collision of the two vehicles and their burning. The escape of a white Hilux from the scene is also evident. Due to the price differences of petroleum products such as diesel, gasoline, and kerosene in Iran compared to neighboring countries, a business known as 'fuel selling' or 'fuel smuggling' has emerged in some regions of Iran, including Balochistan. Due to poverty and lack of jobs in this region of Iran, many young people turn to this work; a job fraught with risks, including death from fuel vehicle explosions. The government considers the buying and selling of fuel outside the state system as smuggling and acts against it. However, according to some reports, the majority of fuel smuggling in Iran's border areas is carried out by oil companies and military institutions.