Iran seizes merchant ship and the risk of another war in the Middle East grows

Elements of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard rappelled from a helicopter onto the deck of an Israeli-affiliated container ship near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday and took control of the ship, in the latest in a series of attacks between the two. countries.

According to a dispatch from the Associated Press (AP) agency dated in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the president of the United States, Joe Bideninterrupted a trip to his beach house in Delaware to return to the White House and monitor the situation in the Middle East, where the war Israel once morest the Palestinian group Hamas has aggravated tensions. With forces under Iranian tutelage, such as the Lebanese group Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen also fighting, any further attack threatens to degenerate into a regional war.

Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council, said the ship’s crew included Indians, Filipinos, Pakistanis, Russians and Estonians, and urged Iran to release the ship.

The Middle East awaited possible retaliation from Tehrancapital of Iran, for the alleged air attack by Israel who at the beginning of this April reached his consulate in Syria and killed 12 people, including a high-ranking general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard who once led the expeditionary force Quds, the elite paramilitary arm of the Guard in charge of relations with governments and groups allied to Tehran.

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Israel’s war once morest Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which began more than six months ago, has also stoked longstanding tensions in the Middle East.

Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that a special forces unit of the Guard Navy carried out the attack on the merchant ship, which the country’s press widely identified as the MSC Ariesand container ship with portuguese flag associated with the Zodiac Maritime companybased in London.

The shipping company is part of the Zodiac Group, owned by the Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer. Zodiac declined to comment and referred questions to MSC, which did not immediately respond.

The route of the MSC Aries

According to the MarineTraffic website, the container ship MSC Aries It sailed yesterday, April 12, from the port of Kahlifain the Persian Gulf, bound for Nhava Shevaa port in eastern India, where it would arrive on April 16. “The vessel is out of range,” indicated Marine Traffic when consulted this followingnoon of Saturday, April 13.

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  The container ship MSC Aries, which was allegedly seized by Iranian forces while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, the passage from the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, bound for a port in India. Photo by Marine Traffic
  

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  Marine Traffic’s information on the route of the container ship MSC Aries, allegedly taken over by Iranian forces while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, the passage from the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, bound for a port in India.

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  From Khalifa, a port in the United Arab Emirates, to Nhava Sheva, a port in India, the container ship MSC Aries was sailing, allegedly taken over by Iranian forces while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, the passage from the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. Image from Google Maps
  

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  The location of the Strait of Hormuz, where a merchant ship, presumably the MSC Aries, was taken by members of the Iranian Guard. Image from Google Earth

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  Another Google Earth image of the location of the Strait of Hormuz, where a merchant ship, presumably the MSC Aries, was taken by members of the Iranian Guard

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  Ships sailing today, Saturday, April 13, 2024 in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. Image by Marine Traffic

Boarding of the merchant ship

Before today Saturday, a defense official from the regionwho asked to speak on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, shared a video of the boarding with AP. In the images, the troops descend from the helicopter to the containers located on the deck.

Additionally, a crew member is heard saying “Don’t go out”. Next, he asks his companions to go to the bridge of the ship while more agents continue to arrive on the deck. One of them kneels above the others to provide possible covering fire.

BREAKING: Israel says Iran launched a number of drones toward it that will take hours to arrive https://t.co/x3Eg0FdVRw

— The Associated Press (@AP) April 13, 2024

The video corresponded to the known details of the MSC Aries. He helicopter employee appeared to be a Mil Mi-17 from the Soviet era, used by both the Guard and Yemen’s Houthi rebels — who are backed by Tehran — in their boat raids in the past.

The Maritime Trade Operations agency, dependent on the United Kingdom military, stated that the vessel was being “captured by regional authorities” in the gulf of omanin front of the port city of Fujairahin the United Arab Emirates, but did not offer further details.

Israel’s position

For his part, the Israeli foreign minister, Israel Katzcalled on nations to classify the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.

Iran “is a criminal regime that supports the crimes of Hamas and is now carrying out a pirate operation in violation of international law,” Katz said.

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu He stated today, Saturday, that Israel has been preparing for an Iranian attack and is ready “for any scenario.”

“Whoever attacks us, we will attack. “We will defend ourselves once morest all threats and we will do so calmly and determinedly,” he asserted.

The United States supports Israel

The Pentagon reported that the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart “to discuss urgent regional threats…and made clear that Israel might fully rely on the support of the United States to defend Israel once morest any attack by Iran and its regional proxies.” National security adviser Jake Sullivan also spoke with his counterpart to reinforce (Washington’s) “invulnerable commitment to Israel’s security.”

He MSC Aries It last reported its location on Friday off Dubai, heading towards the Strait of Hormuz. The ship had deactivated the tracking system, something common on Israeli-affiliated vessels that navigate the region.

Since 2019, the Islamic Republic has been implicated in a series of ship seizures and maritime attacks have been attributed to it amid ongoing tensions with the West over the rapid advancement of its nuclear program.

The Gulf of Oman is close to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow entrance to the Persian Gulf through which regarding a fifth of the world’s oil passes. Fujairah, on the eastern coast of the Emirates, is one of the region’s main ports for ships to receive new shipments of crude oil, pick up supplies or change crew.

Since 2019, the waters near Fujairah have witnessed several explosions and kidnappings. The US Navy blames Iran for carrying out limpet mine attacks that damage oil tankers.

Flights suspended in Iranian and Israeli airspace

Nonetheless, Lufthansa Group It extended its suspension of flights between Frankfurt and Tehran until next Thursday, and warned that its planes will avoid Iranian airspace. The German airline added that, at least until Tuesday, flights to and from Amman will be operated as “daily flights” so that the crew does not have to spend the night in the Jordanian capital.

The Dutch airline KLM announced that it will no longer fly over Iran or Israel, but will continue flights to and from Tel Aviv.

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