Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized two foreign ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, according to a semiofficial state news agency, a major escalation coming just hours after President Donald Trump announced he was extending a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
The state-linked Tasnim News Agency said that the captured vessels were “operating without authorization, repeatedly violating regulations, and manipulating navigation aid systems in a way that endangered maritime safety.”
The vessels are now in Iranian territorial waters, Tasnim reported.
One of the two vessels intercepted by the Iranian Navy while attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz was bound for India, according to the Marine Traffic vessel tracking service.
The Iranian Navy previously reported that the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca and the Liberia-flagged Epaminondas "threatened maritime security, lacked appropriate permissions, interfered with navigation systems and were consequently seized and escorted to Iranian shores."
According to Marine Traffic, the EPAMINONDAS left the UAE's Jebel Ali port bound for India's Mundra port.
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La marine du Corps des gardiens de la Révolution islamique (CGRI) affirme avoir intercepté et transféré dans les eaux territoriales iraniennes deux navires pour avoir commis des violations dans le détroit d'Ormuz.
ReplyDeleteTehran has not yet officially responded to the US president's extension of the ceasefire, which is set to expire tonight, according to a report by Tasnim News.
ReplyDelete"The continuation of the naval blockade means the continuation of hostility... If necessary, Iran will break the blockade by force," the report added.
Greek Foreign Minister:
ReplyDelete"A cargo ship associated with Greece was attacked by Iran near the Strait of Hormuz.
It remains unclear whether the ship was captured after the attack."