Iran’s IRGC Seizes Two Ships in the Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a move that comes after the US military seized an Iranian cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman and a tanker carrying Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean.
The IRGC said the ships were seized for “committing violations” in the Strait of Hormuz. “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.
The ships were identified as the MSC Francesca, a Panamanian-flagged container ship, and the Epaminondas, another container ship sailing under a Liberian flag. The IRGC claimed that the Francesca had ties to Israel. A third vessel was reportedly attacked by the IRGC but not seized.
The seizures came after President Trump declared he was extending the ceasefire with Iran but that he would maintain the blockade on Iranian ports, which Iranian officials say is a ceasefire violation since a blockade is an act of war. Iran has maintained that it will not hold further peace talks with the US until the blockade is lifted.
