IRGC seizes two vessels in Hormuz for naval breaches
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy on Wednesday seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz for maritime violations amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US in the strategic waterway.
The IRGC identified the vessels as the MSC-Francesca, which it said belongs to the Israeli regime, and the Epaminodes.
The vessels, the IRGC said, were operating without authorization, committing repeated violations, tampering with navigation aid systems, and endangering maritime security in an attempt to exit the strait covertly.
"With the intelligence dominance of the forces, these vessels were identified and stopped in order to uphold the rights of the noble Iranian nation in the Strait of Hormuz," the IRGC Navy said.
It added that the vessels have now been transferred to Iranian territorial waters for inspection of their cargo and documents.
The IRGC Navy reiterated that any attempt to disrupt the implementation of laws announced by Iran for transit through the Strait of Hormuz, or any activity inconsistent with safe passage through this strategic waterway, will be continuously monitored and met with decisive and legal action against violators.
It was the first time Iran has seized ships since the beginning of the war at the end of February.
Since the early days of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran, the country’s Armed Forces have closed the waterway in response to the illegal and unprovoked aggression. However, Iran on Friday declared the strait was open to commercial shipping.
A US blockade on Iranian ports and its recent seizure of two Iranian commercial vessels have further complicated the situation in the strait from which about 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes through.
Iran has condemned the US Navy intercepting Iranian ships at sea as part of its blockade, including a huge tanker bound for Singapore that was boarded in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday. Iran's Foreign Ministry accused the US of "piracy at sea and state terrorism.”
Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations, in a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, formally requested that the international body to compel the US to release an Iranian vessel Touska, its crew, their families, and all affected individuals immediately and unconditionally.
Amir Saeed Iravani drew "urgent attention to the continued international violations committed by the United States against the Islamic Republic, including the deliberate targeting of Iranian commercial vessels."