The Mediterranean Shipping Company, MSC, confirmed that the MSC Aries vessel was “boarded by Iranian authorities via helicopter” as the ship passed the Strait of Hormuz and has been diverted toward Iran.
The ship has 25 crew onboard, said Giles Read, MSC Global Head of Communications. “We are working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure their well-being, and safe return of the vessel.”
MSC said it had chartered the MSC Aries and that the vessel was owned by Gortal Shipping Inc, which “is affiliated to” Zodiac Maritime.
British marine safety firm Ambrey said Zodiac Maritime “has encountered Iranian hostile acts in the past due to its Israeli ownership,” adding in its advisory note: “Israeli-owned shipping is advised to reconsider transiting the Strait of Hormuz. All merchant shipping is advised to remain cautious and report any unusual activity.”
Ambrey said it reviewed footage showing a hovering helicopter and two people fast-roping onto the vessel. Ambrey noted that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard forces “have previously used this method of boarding while seizing vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.” The vessel had been en route from the United Arab Emirates to India, it added.
News of the seized vessel came after the United States began dispatching more warplanes and ships to the Middle East, bracing for an Iranian counterstrike against Israel and spillover violence directed at American troops in the region. The region has been on alert for Tehran’s promised retaliation to an Israeli strike near Iran’s embassy in Damascus, Syria, which killed two senior members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard this month.
On Saturday, Israel Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Iran was “now conducting a pirate operation in violation of international law.” He said Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps seized “a Portuguese civilian cargo ship, belonging to an E.U. member, claiming Israeli ownership.”
Zodiac Maritime referred questions about the seized ship to MSC.
A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the evolving situation, said U.S. authorities were aware of the reports, but did not provide further details.
The April 1 attack near Iran’s embassy heightened fears of widening war across the region, where confrontations have simmered between Iranian-backed groups and Israeli forces or the United States.
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has issued a security alert restricting the movement of government employees and their families, as governments around the world, from France to India, warn their citizens against travel to Israel or Iran.
Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility for the April 1 attack in Damascus, although The Washington Post reported that Pentagon officials were frustrated Israel did not notify Washington, its biggest backer, of the strike, an escalation which the Pentagon views as increasing risks to U.S. forces.
President Biden told reporters Friday that he expected an attack on Israel to come “sooner rather than later.” When asked for his message to Iran, he replied: “Don’t.” The move to beef up U.S. presence in the Middle East reflects concern from the Biden administration that its support for Israel’s war in Gaza could spur wider violence.
Iran’s supreme leader has pledged Israel would “regret” the Damascus strike, which Tehran said was especially brazen as it hit a diplomatic compound — which are traditionally exempt from hostilities.
The Israeli military has said it was “prepared for all scenarios” and warned Iran it would hit back against further escalation. “Israel is on high alert,” military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Saturday. “We have increased our readiness to protect Israel from further Iranian aggression.”
Here’s what else to know
Jacob Toukhy, a staff member of the USAID mission in the West Bank and Gaza, was killed near his home in Jaffa, according to an internal memo seen by The Washington Post. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is working with the U.S. Embassy to ascertain details about the death, the agency said Friday.
A Palestinian was killed and 25 injured in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian health officials said after settlers stormed the village of al-Mughayir on Friday, according to Israeli human rights group Yesh Din. The rights group said settlers entered with live ammunition, setting homes ablaze, during a search for a missing 14-year-old from a nearby settlement.
The Israeli military said the teenager’s body was found and that he had been murdered. It said Saturday that the incident was “under review” and security forces were looking for suspects. The military said earlier it had been blocking roads and “conducting scans” in the area during the search.
At least 33,686 people have been killed and 76,309 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants and says the majority of the dead are women and children. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, including more than 300 soldiers, and says 260 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
Andrew Jeong, Alon Rom, Dan Lamothe, Bryan Pietsch and John Hudson contributed to this report.
