India-bound ship among two vessels attacked in Strait of Hormuz, seized by Iran's IRGC
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "India-bound ship among two vessels attacked in Strait of Hormuz, seized by Iran's IRGC")
Maritime traffic data shows that Epaminondas was headed towards Mundra port in Gujarat and was coming from Dubai. Photograph: (AFP)
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said three merchant ships came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz by Iran, and one of the ships suffered damage to its bridge (the central command centre) after being hit by gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards attacked and seized two vessels, including a Gujarat-bound cargo ship, on Wednesday, hours after US President Donald Trump extended the two-week fragile ceasefire. The two ships, Panama-flagged MSC Francesca and Liberia-flagged Epaminodes, are now in IRGC custody and have been taken to Iran, reported Iranian state television. A third vessel, Greek-owned Euphoria, was also targeted and is now stranded along Iran’s shores.
The incident is likely to spike tensions between Iran and India after two India-flagged ships were attacked last week in the Strait of Hormuz.
Maritime traffic data shows that Epaminondas was headed towards Mundra port in Gujarat and was coming from Dubai.
Vessels did not have ‘required authorisation, manipulated navigation systems’: Iranian navy
The Iranian navy claimed that the vessels did not have “required authorisation” and “manipulated navigation systems”, thereby endangering maritime safety.
Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said three merchant ships came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz by Iran, and one of the ships suffered damage to its bridge (the central command centre) after being hit by gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades.
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Iranian gunboat did not warn before firing at ship: UKMTO
UKMTO said that Iran’s IRGC attacked the first container ship around 7.55 am, damaging the vessel. It said the Iranian gunboat did not warn the ship before it started firing at it.
“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval force this morning identified and stopped in the Strait of Hormuz two violating ships,” the IRGC said, adding that MSC Francesca belonged to the “Zionist regime” and Epaminodes was “tampering with navigation systems and jeopardising maritime security”.
‘Disrupting order and safety in Strait of Hormuz is red line for Iran’
The IRGC Navy said that disrupting order and safety in the Strait of Hormuz is a red line for Iran.
Iran’s new offensive in Hormuz is being seen as a reaction to the seizure of two Iranian-flagged cargo ships near the Gulf of Oman by the US as part of its naval blockade.
The US blockade of ships and Iranian ports has irked Tehran, which is now insisting on blockade removal before any peace talks. However, Trump made it clear that the naval blockade would continue. It is designed to strangle Iran’s oil revenues and collapse its economy.
