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2024-04-14 08:23阅读：
Iran seizes Israel-linked container
vessel
Tehran has vowed to respond to a suspected Israeli air strike on
its consular building in Damascus
Robert Wright in London, Bita Ghaffari in Tehran and James Shotter
in Jerusalem
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have seized an Israeli-linked
container ship in the latest escalation of hostilities between the
Islamic republic and Israel.
The capture of the MSC Aries (IMO No 9857169, L366mxB51mxd12.2m)
comes as Tehran has been vowing to respond to a suspected Israeli
air strike on Iran’s consular building in Damascus this month that
killed seven guards members, including two senior commanders.
Video published online showed two guards soldiers sliding from a
helicopter do
wn ropes on to the deck of the 366m-long container ship in the Gulf
of Oman.
The vessel is operated by Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping
Company, the world’s biggest container shipping line. It is owned
by Gortal Shipping, a finance company affiliated with Zodiac
Maritime, a company controlled by Israel’s Ofer family.
Hours later, US President Joe Biden cut short a weekend beach trip
and was returning to the White House to consult with his national
security team about the situation in the Middle East, the White
House said.
The US military has repositioned two destroyers in case they are
needed to help respond. One was already in the region and one was
redirected to bolster the US presence, according to officials. One
includes an Aegis missile defence system.
Biden said on Friday that he expected Iran to mount an attack
against Israeli interests “sooner rather than later”. It was not
clear whether the seizure of the Aries represented the full
retaliation.
A spokesman for Israel’s military said that its forces were on full
alert and that “dozens” of planes were airborne in preparation for
any attack.
Israel also said that from 11pm local time on Saturday, gatherings
would be limited to 1,000 people, and school activities would be
cancelled. The cabinet was due to meet later on Saturday.
Israel Katz, Israel’s foreign minister, accused Iran of conducting
a “pirate operation”.
IRNA, Iran’s state news agency, said the guards’ naval forces had
captured the ship after boarding it using a helicopter.
The seizure took place in the Gulf of Oman, close to the critical
chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime trade route
through which much of the world’s crude shipments pass.
Iranian leaders have blamed Israel for the April 1 strike on its
diplomatic mission and likened it to a direct strike on the
republic. The assault has raised concerns over the risk of a
full-blown regional war erupting.
Hostilities across the region have intensified since Hamas’s
October 7 attack on Israel killed 1,200 people, according to
Israeli officials, and triggered the war in Gaza.
Iranian-backed militants have launched drones, rockets and missiles
against Israel and US troops in the region as Israeli forces have
mounted a retaliatory offensive against Hamas in Gaza, which has
killed more than 33,000 people, according to Palestinian
officials.
Iran has sought to avoid a direct conflict with Israel and the US,
and has signalled that its response to the April 1 strike on its
consular building will be calibrated.
Iranian forces have previously seized tankers during periods of
heightened tension with the US and other western states.
The seizure of the MSC Aries is the first in waters off Iran since
January, when Iranian forces seized the Greek-owned oil tanker St
Nikolas in a similar position.
MSC confirmed that the vessel had been seized by “Iranian
authorities”.
The ship was operating a service for MSC from the United Arab
Emirates port of Khalifa to Nhava Sheva in Mumbai.
“She has since been diverted from her itinerary towards Iran,” the
company said. It added that the ship had 25 crew on board. “We are
working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure their
wellbeing, and safe return of the vessel,” MSC said.
The UK’s Maritime Trade Operations office, based in Dubai, reported
that the vessel had been “seized by regional authorities”.
A bulletin on the incident from Ambrey, a UK maritime intelligence
company, said that Zodiac had encountered “Iranian hostile acts” in
the past because of its Israeli ownership.
“Israeli-owned shipping is advised to reconsider transiting the
Strait of Hormuz,” Ambrey wrote.
India said 17 of its nationals were on board the Aries. “We are in
touch with the Iranian authorities through diplomatic channels,
both in Tehran and in Delhi, to ensure [the] security, welfare and
early release of Indian nationals,” an official said.
The waters of the Strait of Hormuz, near where the MSC Aries was
seized, are the world’s most important route for oil tankers,
carrying oil from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf producers to the
wider world. They are also an important route for container ships
going to and from Khalifa and the vast container port at Jebel Ali,
in Dubai.
Container ships have mostly stopped sailing through waters off
Yemen since December, after Iranian-backed Houthis launched a
series of attacks on vessels linked with Israel, the UK and US,
claiming to be acting in support of Gaza’s Palestinians. However,
the route through the Strait of Hormuz had not until now been as
big a concern.
Guy Platten, secretary-general of industry lobby group the
International Chamber of Shipping, called the seizure of the MSC
Aries a “flagrant breach of international law and an assault on
freedom of navigation”.
“This reprehensible attack against a merchant ship once again
places innocent seafarers on the front lines of geopolitical
conflict,” Platten said.
Peter Sand, chief analyst at Xeneta, a shipping intelligence
service, said an already bad situation in the Red Sea and Gulf of
Aden had “got worse”.
The vessel’s seizure could put containerised imports into the Gulf
region and oil exports at risk, Sand added.
