Iran’s IRGC navy has seized two “violating vessels,” including the container ship EPAMINONDES headed from Jebel Ali to Gujarat and flagged in Liberia, asserting they operated without proper permits and tampered with navigation systems in the Strait of Hormuz.
The IRGC said the ships endangered maritime safety and were being towed to the Iranian coast, calling any disruption of the Strait’s order a “red line.” The seizures follow reports that at least three other vessels were attacked in the same area, with UKMTO confirming an Iranian gunboat fired on a container ship northeast of Oman. The incidents have heightened international concern over the security of vital oil routes and the risk of a wider escalation amid ongoing US–Iran tensions.
