Iranian forces seized a container ship with ties to Israel in the Persian Gulf on Saturday, as leaders in the Middle East and beyond focused on a retaliatory strike against Israel.
Major shipping company MSC said on Saturday that the Portuguese-registered MSC Aries had been boarded by helicopter by “Iranian authorities” as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz.
A video shared by Iranian state media showed a military helicopter hovering over what appeared to be the stern of the ship and at least two soldiers lowering a rope to the deck.
According to the Iranian state news agency IRNA, these soldiers are part of the elite Iranian Revolutionary Guards Navy.
While the 1,200-foot-long cargo ship is operated by MSC, it is owned by an affiliate of Zodiac Maritime, part of the Zodiac Group and owned by Israeli-born billionaire Eyal Ofer, making it a possible target for Iranian retaliation. Tehran blamed Israel for an attack on the Iranian embassy building in Syria that killed 12 people, including senior military generals, and later vowed to retaliate.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, comfirmed A post on social media about the seizure said Iran’s leadership was “a criminal regime that supports the crimes of Hamas and is currently conducting piracy operations that violate international law.”
The seizure comes six months after Hamas attacked Israel, sparking war in Gaza, and comes amid concerns about Iran’s direct involvement in the wider conflict. Iran is a supporter of Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, but has so far not been directly involved. President Joe Biden said on Friday he expected Iran to launch a retaliatory attack “sooner or later” and reiterated that the United States remained committed to defending Israel.
It was unclear whether the seizure of the ship was part of Iran’s pledged response to attacks in Syria, but it would not be the first time Iran has directly seized a commercial vessel.exist In January, the Iranian navy seized A tanker laden with oil off the coast of Oman. During that capture, soldiers also descended from hovering helicopters.
Before the Gaza War, the United States explain Iran has “harassed, attacked or interfered” with more than a dozen commercial ships flying international flags in recent years.
For their part, the Houthis have attacked dozens of ships entering and exiting the Suez Canal, disrupting a large portion of the world’s shipping.
MSC Aries has 25 crew members on board, according to its operator.
