Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guards has seized an Israeli-affiliated vessel in the strait of Hormuz, 50 nautical miles off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
According to the Guardian UK, Commandos dropped from a helicopter onto the container ship, the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries.
Iran’s state news agency reported that the vessel was being transferred to Iran’s territorial waters.
It said the special forces unit of the guards’ navy carried out the attack on the ship, which is associated with the London-based Zodiac Maritime ship management company, part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group.
Geneva-based MSC later acknowledged the seizure and said 25 crew had been aboard the vessel.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said in a post on X that the incident had taken place north-east of Fujairah.
UKMTO had earlier said: “Vessel reported to have been seized by regional authorities. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.”
The statement followed shortly after an initial report that the vessel had been “boarded.”
The strait of Hormuz lies between the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, with Iran to the north.
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