Iranian forces have moved two seized container ships deeper into their control in the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions along one of the world’s most critical shipping routes.
The vessels — identified as the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas — were taken toward the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, according to a Thursday report citing maritime sources.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Wednesday the ships were operating without proper authorization and had tampered with navigation systems, claims that have not been independently verified.
“Some 20 Iranians armed to the teeth stormed the ship. Sailors are under Iranians’ control, their movements on the ship are limited, but the Iranians are treating them well,” a relative of a captive onboard one of the ships told Reuters on Thursday in relation to one of the seizures.
Both vessels are managed by Mediterranean Shipping Company and were carrying a combined crew of about 40 people, according to Reuters.
“The ship is anchored nine nautical miles from the Iranian coast. Negotiations between MSC and Iran are ongoing, our sailors are fine,” Montenegro’s maritime affairs minister Filip Radulovic told state television, according to the outlet.
The seizures came after both ships reported taking fire near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, highlighting the growing instability in the narrow waterway that handles a major share of the world’s oil shipments.
The latest incident follows a separate confrontation earlier this week, when U.S. forces intercepted an Iranian-flagged cargo ship, the Touska, in the Gulf of Oman as it approached Iranian waters.
The Touska remains in U.S. custody as American forces inspect what maritime security sources described to Reuters as likely “dual-use” cargo — materials that could be used for civilian or military purposes — after the vessel’s voyage from Asia.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military is pressing ahead with its blockade of Iranian ports.
U.S. Central Command said Thursday that American forces have redirected 33 vessels since the blockade began, part of a broader effort to squeeze Tehran’s shipping network as the standoff intensifies.
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