Iranian troops accused of seizing Israel-linked ship
The photo used in this blog post was obtained from Getty Images.
On Saturday morning, Iran took control of a commercial vessel that had connections to Israel as it was travelling through the Strait of Hormuz.
According to a statement released by MSC, the Iranian special forces took control of the MSC Aries when it was about 50 miles (80km) away from the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
The video obtained by Reuters news agency seemed to display soldiers descending from a helicopter onto the ship using a rope.
The vessel with the Portuguese flag on it is connected to the wealthy Israeli tycoon named Eyal Ofer.
The event occurred when there was already a lot of concern about Iran attacking Israel. In early April, an airstrike destroyed Iran's consulate in Damascus, which added to this concern. Israel declared that Iran would face the consequences if they decided to make the situation worse.
The latest info indicated that the MSC Aries was sailing near the UAE shores and heading towards the Strait of Hormuz more than 18 hours ago. Later on, the tracking data seemed to have been disabled, which is a standard practice for ships connected to Israel in that area.
The Maritime Trade Operations agency in the UK has confirmed that a ship was boarded by regional authorities off the coast of Fujairah in the UAE. The statement provided no information about any Iranian involvement in the incident.
The Iranian press has been fast to celebrate the participation of their specialized military units in the attack.
According to the national news outlet, Irna, the MSC Aries has been captured by the naval division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) since it had associations with Israel. The report further disclosed that the vessel was en route to Iranian waters at that moment.
The video clip showed soldiers descending onto the ship using ropes from a chopper flying above. Someone on the crew yelled out, "Stay inside."
The video footage showed a commando crouching down to offer protection as other soldiers entered the vessel. As reported by MSC, the ship had a total of 25 crew members on it during the attack.
Authorities in Tehran have not provided any statements yet.
MSC is in charge of operating the ship, while it rents the craft from Gortal Shipping Inc. This corporation has a connection with Mr. Ofer's Zodiac Maritime.
The Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, has urged the European Union to label the Iranian Revolutionary Guards corps as a terrorist group and take action against Iran after an attack on a cargo ship owned by one of their members. The message was posted on X, which was formerly known as Twitter.
Iran Attack Warning Issued By US
Since 2019, Iran's military has taken control of several ships in the area. The recent attack occurred during a time when Iran and Israel were experiencing increased tension.
Since the fatal attack on the Iranian consulate building in Damascus on 1 April, which resulted in the death of a high-ranking IRGC commander, Iran has been determined to retaliate against Israel, whom they hold responsible for the incident.
Israel has not made any statements regarding the attack, however, American authorities have repeatedly cautioned that they anticipate Iran to carry out an assault on Israel in the near future.
Mr Biden declared his unwavering commitment to safeguarding Israel, insisting on providing steady support. He affirmed that Israel could rely on him to protect its interests against external threats. Furthermore, Mr Biden expressed his determination to thwart Iran's bid to cause harm to Israel.
The military representative for Israel stated on Saturday that Iran will be held responsible for their decision to intensify the current situation.
At the same time, it was reported by Dutch media that flights operated by KLM would avoid flying over Iran because of increasing tensions in the region.
