The IRCG Navy confirmed today that it had stopped and transferred two vessels to Iranian territorial waters in the Strait of Hormuz as part of its ongoing maritime security operations, reported Tasnim News. The vessels were identified as the Panama-registered MSC-Francesca, reportedly linked to Israel, and the Greek-operated Epaminodes, both of which, the IRGC said, were operating without authorization, repeatedly violating regulations, and manipulating navigation aid systems in a way that endangered maritime safety.
Earlier the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) reported that an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “gun boat” had fired at a container ship 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman, reported CBS News. There was no radio warning before the boat “fired upon the vessel,” according to the British Royal Navy-led UKMTO, causing “heavy damage to the bridge” but with all crew “reported safe.”
