Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says that it has captured two container ships seeking to exit the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz after firing on them, in its first seizures since its war with the United States and Israel began in February, Reuters reports.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported the seizures and added that the IRGC’s Navy has also warned that any disruption to order and safety in the strait will be considered a “red line”.
The IRGC accused the seized ships, the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca and Liberia-flagged Epaminondas, of operating without required permits and tampering with their navigation systems.
