Gujarat-bound ship among two vessels seized by Iran near Hormuz

NEW DELHI: Iran connected Wednesday seized 2 vessels, 1 of them bound for Gujarat, against the backdrop of mounting tensions successful the Strait of Hormuz, wherever the Trump-Tehran confrontation continues to intensify.The improvement comes adjacent connected the heels of a tense occurrence successful which Iranian forces opened occurrence connected an India-bound vessel attempting to walk done the chokepoint, forcing it into an abrupt return.

Iranian authorities tv aboriginal reported that the ships were successful the custody of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and were being taken to Iran. The vessels were identified arsenic MSC Francesca and Epaminondas, though their owners could not beryllium instantly reached for comment, arsenic AP reported.According to marine postulation data, Epaminondas, a Liberian-flagged instrumentality ship, was en way to Mundra larboard successful Gujarat’s Kachch district. Its navigational presumption was listed arsenic “stopped.”The seizures people a crisp escalation by Iran’s leadership, which appears to beryllium hardening its stance pursuing earlier rounds of talks with the Trump medication that devolved into unfastened conflict.Despite a ceasefire mediated by Pakistan earlier connected Wednesday, tensions astir the captious lipid chokepoint stay high, strained by continued US blockade measures and restrictions imposed by the IRGC navy.