Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, the Iranian state-run IRNA news agency reported, days after Tehran warned it could close the area to sea traffic.
\nIRNA reported that a Guards helicopter had boarded and taken into Iranian waters the Portuguese flagged MSC Aries.
\nShipping security agencies had earlier reported a vessel being boarded and seized by \u201cregional authorities\u201d in the Hormuz Strait between the United Arab Emirates and Iran.
\nThe Aries is leased by international shipping line MSC from Gortal Shipping, an affiliate of Zodiac Maritime, Zodiac said in a statement, adding that MSC is responsible for all vessel activities. Zodiac is partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer.
\nThe incident comes amid rising regional tensions since the start of Israel\u2019s campaign in Gaza in October, with Israel and its ally the United States clashing repeatedly with Iranian-aligned groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
\nIran has threatened to retaliate for suspected Israeli airstrikes on its consulate in Syria\u2019s capital Damascus on April 1 that killed seven Revolutionary Guards officers including two senior commanders.
\nU.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday he expected Iran to attack Israel \u201csooner, rather than later\u201d and warned Tehran not to proceed.
\nIsrael\u2019s military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said \u201cIran will bear consequences for choosing to escalate this situation any further\u201d, in response to reports of the seizure of MSC Aries.
\nOn Tuesday the naval head of the Revolutionary Guards, Alireza Tangsiri, said it could close the Strait of Hormuz if deemed necessary.
\nHe said Iran viewed as a threat Israel\u2019s presence in the UAE, with which Israel established diplomatic relations in 2020 as part of the \u201cAbraham Accords\u201d mediated by the United States.
\nYemen\u2019s Iran-backed Houthi group has disrupted global trade with attacks on shipping in the Red Sea for months, saying it is aiming at vessels linked to Israel in retaliation for Israel\u2019s campaign in Gaza.
\nThe United States and Britain have carried out strikes against Houthi targets in response to the attacks on shipping.
\nThe Joint Maritime Information Center, run by a Western-led naval coalition, said vessels intending to navigate the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world\u2019s most important energy routes, should exercise caution and not loiter.
\n(Reuters)cargo ship. Iran, Revolutionary Guards, cargo ship<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship, the MSC Aries, in the Strait of Hormuz. The ship is leased by MSC from Gortal Shipping, an affiliate of Zodiac Maritime, partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer. Tensions are rising in the region since Israel’s campaign in Gaza, with threats and warnings being issued by Iran, the United States, and Israel. Iran has also threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz if necessary. Yemen’s Houthi group has been disrupting global trade by attacking ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea. The United States and Britain have responded with strikes against Houthi targets. The Joint Maritime Information Center has advised caution for vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":8079,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[383,1234,492,195,1221,3677,3679,2402,1793,6262,2411,3075,358,3355,145,496,187,146,3966,299,756,412,712,2952,3504,3331,5330,4843,1670,701,3522,6308,3260,827,5331,124,796,1827,3269,2471,5979,468,1846,1006,459,3523,4502,544,1238,18,685],"class_list":["post-8078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-other","tag-attack","tag-attacks","tag-biden","tag-britain","tag-campaign","tag-cargo","tag-cargo-ship","tag-caution","tag-coalition","tag-consequences","tag-diplomatic-relations","tag-emirates","tag-energy","tag-exercise","tag-gaza","tag-houthi","tag-international","tag-iran","tag-iraq","tag-israel","tag-joe-biden","tag-lebanon","tag-maritime","tag-media","tag-military","tag-news","tag-officers","tag-president","tag-president-joe-biden","tag-red-sea","tag-relations","tag-revolutionary-guards","tag-sea","tag-security","tag-senior-commanders","tag-ship","tag-shipping","tag-statement","tag-strikes","tag-syria","tag-tehran","tag-tensions","tag-threat","tag-trade","tag-traffic","tag-u-s-president","tag-uae","tag-united-states","tag-vessel","tag-world","tag-yemen"],"acf":{"keyphrase":"","keywords":"","sourceimg":"","country-category":""},"yoast_head":"\n