Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), seized an Israeli-linked ship on Saturday near the Strait of Hormuz.
Video published on social media showed IRGC commandos rappelling from a helicopter onto the the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries container ship.
The ship is linked to Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group, NBC News reported. The U.K.-based shipping company MSC, which manages and operates the ship, confirmed the hijacking in a statement, saying that the vessel was “boarded by Iranian authorities via helicopter” and that 25 crew members were on board.
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#NEW: Video of the hijacking of the MSC Aries by the IRGC pic.twitter.com/AlANlpbAYM
— Michael A. Horowitz (@michaelh992) April 13, 2024
“The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps have seized a Portuguese civilian cargo ship, belonging to an EU member, claiming Israeli ownership,” Israel Katz, Israel’s foreign minister, posted on X. “The Ayatollah regime of @khamenei_ir is a criminal regime that supports Hamas’ crimes and is now conducting a pirate operation in violation of international law.”
“I call on the European Union and the free world to immediately declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guards corps as a terrorist organization and to sanction Iran now,” he added.
The Strait of Hormuz links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman is located between the tip of Oman and southern Iran.
This is the second major ship that has been hijacked in the region over the last several months in the wake of Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack against Israel.
In November, Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists from Yemen hijacked the 620-foot Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea when they boarded the ship via helicopter.
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The ship was “illegally boarded by military personnel via a helicopter”, the Galaxy Leader’s owner said. “All communications were subsequently lost with the vessel.”
“The Houthi seizure of the motor vessel Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea is a flagrant violation of international law,” U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at the time. “We demand the immediate release of the ship and its crew and we will consult with our allies and U.N. partners as to appropriate next steps.”
The Houthis still have the ship in their possession.