Tehran [Iran], April 23: Iran's armed forces said they had attacked and disabled three cargo ships off the country's coast, according to state media. In a statement carried by the Fars news agency on Wednesday, the Revolutionary Guards said they had halted what they described as the vessels' "irregular" passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
The ships were identified as the Epaminondas, sailing under a Liberian flag and travelling from the United Arab Emirates to India; the MSC Francesca, which was last reported off the coast of Saudi Arabia and sails under a Panamanian flag; and a container vessel named Euphoria, which Iranian reports said is Greek-owned.
The MSC Francesca and Epaminondas were seized and taken into Iranian waters, the Tasnim news agency reported, citing the navy of the Revolutionary Guards.
Iranian outlets, including Iran's state TV Telegram channel, have published a statement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy.
In the statement, the IRGC Navy says that two ships, MSC Francesca and Epaminondas, have been transferred to the territorial waters of Iran for "inspection of their cargo, documents, and records".
It says that the ships were "operating without authorisation" and committed "repeated violations", accusing them of trying to leave the Strait of Hormuz "in secret" and tampering with navigation systems.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a British maritime security agency, previously reported two incidents in waters off Iran on Wednesday.
The capture follows Wednesday's incident, in which an Iranian gunboat fired on a container vessel near Oman, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre.
The British maritime monitoring agency said the ship's captain reported that the ship had been approached by an IRGC vessel before shots were fired. "[It] has caused heavy damage to the bridge. No fires or environmental impact reported," UKMTO added. No casualties were reported, and all crew members were said to be safe.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply passes, remains one of the most strategically significant waterways.
Al Jazeera's Tohid Asadi, reporting from Tehran, said, "This is in line with what we heard from the IRGC previously, saying that any passage of ships, vessels or oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz should be with the permission and coordination of the IRGC." He said the capture reflected Iran's continuing strategy to impose control and authority over maritime traffic through the chokepoint, adding that Iranian officials were now discussing charges and transit fees for vessels using the route.
British maritime security firm Vanguard Tech said the container vessel that came under fire was sailing under a Liberian flag and had been informed it had permission to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian news agency Tasnim, however, said the vessel had ignored warnings issued by Iran's forces.
The incident followed a warning from the IRGC's Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters after what it described as the US capture of an Iranian commercial ship in the Sea of Oman, the IRNA news agency reported. It accused Washington of violating the ceasefire and carrying out "armed piracy" after allegedly firing on the Iranian vessel and disabling its navigation systems.
Trump earlier announced he would delay a planned military attack on Iran after requests from Pakistan's army chief, Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said the decision was made because Iran's government was "seriously fractured" and needed time to present a unified position.
Source: Qatar Tribune