KUALA LUMPUR – The Iran Revolutionary Guards confiscated a container ship near the Strait of Hormuz linked to the “Zionist regime” amid soaring tensions in the Middle East, reported the state news agency IRNA.
Ship operator Italian-Swiss group MSC also confirmed Iranian authorities boarded the vessel.
It was also reported that Iran’s special forces boarded via a heliborne operation, which was caught on video, to take control of the ship and direct it towards its territorial waters.
A total of 25 crew members are onboard the ship.
In response to the seizure, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Iran will bear the consequences for choosing to escalate the situation.
Meanwhile, ship tracking websites, vesselfinder.com and marinetraffic.com, say the seized vessel had a Portugal flag.
Several airlines have redirected their international flying routes to avoid the conflict area for fear of escalated attacks in the Gulf.
Iran has been sabre rattling after its consular office in Damascus, Syria, was attacked on April 1, killing at least seven members of the Revolutionary Guards, including two generals.
Iran also blamed the attack on Israel amid the siege on Gaza, which is in its seventh month.
The ongoing war has drawn in Yemen, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.
Houthi rebels in Yemen have carried out dozens of missile and drone attacks against ships in the Red Sea, including seizing the Israel-linked cargo vessel, the Galaxy Leader, last November.
Iran has supported Hamas, but denied involvement in the October 7 attack on Israel that started the siege. – April 13, 2024