Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) released a dramatic video of storming and seizing two vessels it claimed were secretly traversing, and trying to exit the Strait of Hormuz.
In the footage, speed boats carrying soldiers are seen racing toward two massive vessels, MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas, which the IRGC accused of “attempting to secretly exit the Strait of Hormuz.”
Masked soldiers are seen climbing up to the deck of one of the ships with rifles slung over their backs.
This comes as the UK military’s Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) reported incidents involving three cargo ships in the turbulent waterway, while the IRGC claiming to have seized two of them.
Both vessels were transferred to Iranian territorial waters “in order to examine the cargo and documents,” the IRGC Navy said.
The strait, a vital conduit for global energy supplies, has been economically paralysed for more than seven weeks amid Iran’s threats and the US’ military posturing, as both sides are now intercepting vessels in tit-for-tat brinkmanship in the run-up to a possible second round of direct peace talks in Pakistan.
