Iranian forces seize container ship near Strait of Hormuz

Commandos from Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard have landed on a container ship near the Strait of Hormuz and seized the vessel, authorities said.

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency acknowledged the seizure after a video seen by the Associated Press showed the commandos dropping on to the ship from a helicopter on Saturday, an attack a Middle East defence official attributed to Iran amid wider tensions between Tehran and the West.

The attack was earlier reported by the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which said it took place in the Gulf of Oman off the Emirati port city of Fujairah.

In video footage, a crew member can be heard saying: “Don’t come out,” and tells colleagues to go to the ship’s bridge as more commandos come down on the deck. One commando can be seen kneeling above the others to provide potential covering fire.

MSC Aries (Alamy/PA)

The vessel involved is likely to be the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries, a container ship associated with London-based Zodiac Maritime, which is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group.

The MSC Aries had last been located off Dubai heading towards the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. The ship had turned off its tracking data, which has been common for Israeli-affiliated ships moving through the region.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the West, particularly after a suspected Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria.