Explained: Why Iran stopped an India-bound vessel in the Strait of Hormuz
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that two ships attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz were seized. The second ship, identified as the Panama-flagged container vessel MSC Francesca
The IRGC Navy Command has given a reason for seizing the two vessels near the Strait of Hormuz. AP
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said Wednesday that two ships attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz were seized. According to shipping data from Marine Traffic, one ship, a Librarian-flagged container vessel named EPAMINONDAS, was en route to Gujarat in India. "The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval force this morning identified and stopped in the Strait of Hormuz two violating ships. The two offending ships... were seized by the IRGC's naval forces and directed to the Iranian coast," AFP quoted the IRGC as saying in a statement.
The second ship, identified as the Panama-flagged container vessel MSC Francesca, was headed to Hambantota in Sri Lanka.
Why did Iran seize a container ship headed to India?
The IRGC Navy Command has given a reason for seizing the two vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, including the one bound for India. The IRGC, in a statement carried by Press TV, alleged that the two ships endangered maritime security by lacking necessary permits and interfering with their navigation systems.
"Two violating ships, 'MSC-FRANCESCA' (linked to the Zionist regime) and 'EPAMINODES,' which endangered maritime security by operating without the necessary permits and tampering with navigation systems, were seized by the IRGC Navy and directed to the coast of Iran," the IRGC statement read. "Disruption of order and safety in the Strait of Hormuz is our red line," the statement added.
Also Read: Major action near Strait of Hormuz as Iran seizes two ships, including a Gujarat-bound vessel
The IRGC Navy further emphasised that it maintains "intelligent control" over the strait and reiterated that any actions deemed to violate Iran's maritime regulations or disrupt safe passage through the waterway would be closely monitored.
"The IRGC Navy reiterates that any action to disrupt the implementation of the Islamic Republic of Iran's announced rules for traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as any activity contrary to the safe passage of this strategic waterway, will be continuously monitored by the IRGC Navy, and violators will be dealt with decisively and legally," the statement added.
What was the seized ship headed to India?
MarineTraffic data shows the India-bound vessel is EPAMINONDAS, a container ship flying the Liberian flag and headed to Gujarat's Mundra port from Jebel Ali in Dubai.
The length overall (LOA) of the vessel is 299.9 meters. The ship's width is 42.8 meters, according to data from Marinetraffic. The maritime developments have unfolded at a sensitive diplomatic juncture. On Tuesday, Donald Trump used social media to announce an open-ended extension of the two-week ceasefire with Iran, saying the move followed a request from Pakistan and was meant to give Iran's 'fractured' leadership time to submit a unified peace proposal.
However, the US has maintained a naval blockade of Iranian ports, a move Tehran officials have characterised as "no different from bombardment," leading to the current military response in the Strait.
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