Iran seized a ship this morning, in the Strait of Hormuz, off the Gulf of Oman. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Army justified that it was a ship “linked to Israel.” The AP adds that the ship in question is the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries, a container ship linked to Zodiac Maritime, based in London. Zodiac Maritime is part of the Zodiac Group owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer. Hey Portuguese government It says it is monitoring the status of the ship seized by Iranian military forces in the Strait of Hormuz It included that there were no Portuguese citizens on board and had already asked Tehran for clarification.
The Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms, in a press release, that the MSC Aries cargo ship, With Portuguese flag (registered in the autonomous community of Madeira)The owner company is Zodiac Maritime Limited, headquartered in London.
The statement stated that monitoring the situation is being carried out in direct coordination with the Prime Minister’s Office, with the participation of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the Presidency, National Defense and Economy. The government says: “There is no record of the Portuguese citizens who were on board the plane, whether crew or command. The Portuguese government is in contact with the Iranian authorities, having requested clarifications and requested additional information.”
Zodiac Maritime also confirmed that it owns the detained vessel, MSC Aries. Iranian authorities approached the ship by helicopter as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz at 02:34 local time (03:34 in mainland Portugal). After that, the ship was diverted to Iran with a crew of 25 people on board. “We are working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure their safety and the safe return of the ship,” Zodiac Maritime explained in a statement.
The official Iranian news agency confirmed that a helicopter belonging to the Special Naval Forces approached the ship flying the Portuguese flag and detained it. The cargo ship is now being transferred to Iranian territorial waters, and the MSC Aries ship flying the Portuguese flag was communicating between the United Arab Emirates and India.
The Associated Press had already said that the details of boarding the seized cargo ship matched those of the Portuguese ship. The helicopter in question is believed to have been used by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which has carried out similar attacks on ships in the past. According to the news agency, the MSC Aries ship was last spotted near Dubai, heading towards the Strait of Hormuz. The ship turned off the data so it could not be tracked, a practice that has become common for Israeli ships passing through the region.
An Israeli military spokesman responded after the arrest. From the ship. Daniel Hagari said: “Iran will bear the consequences of its choice to further aggravate the situation. Israel is on high alert. We have increased our readiness to protect Israel from any further Iranian aggression, and we are prepared to respond.”
Iran has already warned that it may try to suspend maritime traffic in that region. Washington and Tel Aviv believe that an Iranian attack on Israeli territory is imminent.
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