Peace agreement officially signed by US and Iran

For the first time since the war began in late February, Iran captured two ships attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. According to Iranian state media, the container ships MSC Francesca and Epaminondas are being held about fifteen kilometers off the coast near the Iranian town of Sirik.

Both ships were reportedly attacked early Wednesday morning by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, who opened fire without prior warning. Major damage was reportedly caused to the Epaminondas bridge, but there were no casualties.

According to public data from the website MarineTraffic, the MSC Francesca from Damman, Saudi Arabia, was on its way to Sri Lanka. The Epaminondas sailed from Dubai to India.

The two container ships were operated by the Swiss-based company MSC, the largest container carrier in the world. The Francesca is owned by MSC and sails under the Panamanian flag, the Epaminondas was chartered from a Greek owner and registered in Liberia.

Later on Wednesday morning, a third container ship was reportedly attacked by Iran. Iranian state media claim that this caused this Euphoria to become stranded off the Iranian coast, although according to MarineTraffic data it is anchored in the Gulf of Oman.

Iran imposed a blockade shortly after the outbreak of war, calling ships “of the United States, the Zionists and their proxies” a “legitimate target.” Other ships were allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz – the only shipping link between the Persian Gulf and the rest of the world – but only for a fee and via a shipping route controlled by Iran.

According to an Iranian statement the Francesca is “affiliated with the Zionist regime” and, like the Epaminondas, it threatened maritime security by sailing through the area without permission and “tampering with navigation systems.”

Possible scam

According to sources of the publication specialized in shipping Lloyd’s List the Epaminondas had permission to sail through the strait. If that is true, it may be a scam. Greek maritime security company Marisks warned on Monday that some shipping companies fraudulent messages had received, in which scammers impersonating Iranian authorities promised safe passage for payment in cryptocurrency.

Nothing is known about the fate of the crews of the two ships. MSC did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

In April 2024, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards boarded another MSC cargo ship, the container ship Aries. According to the Iranian authorities, this would have ties to Israel, which had carried out an attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus two weeks earlier.

The 25 crew members of the Aries, which sailed under the Portuguese flag, were released after a few weeks, but the ship itself is still in Iranian hands.

Blockade is Iran’s trump card

The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is an important asset of Iran in the battle with the United States and Israel: the closure of the strait causes scarcity of oil, gas, and crucial raw materials such as fertilizer and helium.

Last Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that the sea route would reopen, after Israel agreed a day earlier to observe a ceasefire in its war against Lebanon. A day later Iran reversed that decision because the United States maintained its blockade of the Strait.

The US imposed the blockade on April 13, targeting ships visiting Iranian ports and coastal waters. The measure particularly affected Iran’s shadow fleet of unregistered tankers that ensure that the country can export oil despite Western sanctions, especially to China. These exports are an important source of income for Tehran.

Sunday shot the US Navy in the Arabian Sea on an Iranian cargo ship and subsequently seized it. The Touska, which is said to be en route from China to Iran, is on a US sanctions list for violations of the arms embargo against Iran.

The Americans went on Tuesday on board the oil tanker Tifani in the Bay of Bengal, between Sri Lanka and Malaysia. The ship, under the flag of Botswana, is said to be carrying Iranian oil.

Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei appeared to refer to those incidents on Wednesday when he condemned the Iranian seizure of the two container ships on “a crushing answer to the enemy” said: “An eye for an eye, tanker for tanker. Epstein’s cronies will not turn their defeat into a victory.”

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