Grant Shapps called the seizure of a ship by Iranian Revolutionary Guard commandos in the Strait of Hormuz near the United Arab Emirates “unacceptable” and a “blatant violation of international law”.
The UK Maritime Trade Organization (UKMTO) said on Saturday that a vessel was seized by “regional authorities” 50 nautical miles northeast of the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah.
British maritime security company Ambrey also reported a “boarding” incident at the same location.
It was unclear which authority the UK trade group was referring to, but Iranian state media acknowledged that paramilitary Revolutionary Guard commandos had seized a cargo ship, claiming it had “links to Israel” and that the location posed a threat to Iranian security .
The defense minister condemned Iran’s actions and called for the “immediate and unconditional release of the ship and its crew.”
Shapps also said the administration was working with partners to prevent escalation in the Middle East, adding that “Iran must immediately cease its destabilizing behavior.”
His comments came after U.S. officials warned this week that Iran could launch a missile attack on Israel within hours after several people, including an Iranian commander, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on April 1. killed and destroyed Tehran’s consulate in Damascus.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian also said the attack was a “legitimate defense and aimed at punishing the aggressors” in response to the consulate bombing.
news agency Associated Press Reports said they had seen video footage of a helicopter attacking a ship near the Strait of Hormuz, with a Middle Eastern defense official claiming Iran was behind the attack.
The video allegedly shows commandos rappelling down onto a stack of containers on the deck.
A crew member on the ship can be heard saying: “Don’t come out,” before the crew member tells his colleagues to go to the bridge as more commandos descend on the deck.
One commando can be seen kneeling above the others, providing them with potential covering fire.
“Khamenei’s Ayatollah regime is a criminal regime that supports the crimes of Hamas and is now committing piracy in violation of international law,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said.
The Israeli military stated that Iran will bear the consequences of choosing to further escalate the situation.
IDF Brigadier General Daniel Hagari said: “Israel is on high alert.
“We are ready to defend Israel from further Iranian aggression.
“We are also prepared to respond.”
The Joint Maritime Information Center, run by the Western-led naval alliance, said ships intending to navigate the Strait of Hormuz should exercise caution and not linger.
The war in Gaza broke out after a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, raising tensions in the region.
Israel and its ally the United States have repeatedly clashed with Iranian-backed groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval commander Alireza Donsiri said on Tuesday that Tehran views Israel’s presence in the United Arab Emirates as a threat and may close the Strait of Hormuz, the entrance to the Persian Gulf, if it deems it necessary.
Fujairah is located on the east side of the Strait of Hormuz, in the Gulf of Oman.
Iran also threatened to retaliate for a suspected Israeli airstrike on its consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus on April 1, which killed seven Revolutionary Guard officers, including two senior commanders.
On Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed.
“We are aware of the UKMTO report and we are monitoring it,” a U.S. defense official said on Saturday.
Hassan Alhassan, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) defense and security think tank, said that if the seizure of MSC Aries was in retaliation for Israel’s attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, then it shows that they want to save face and avoid further escalation. .
“Iran may be trying to exploit concerns that it could impede shipping through the strait, which is more important to global oil and gas supplies than the Red Sea,” he said. would significantly reduce the risk of full-scale conflict, but would damage its own credibility. “
The ocean tracking website initially identified it as the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries of Zodiac Maritime, an international shipping company partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer.
It is understood that the ship was en route to Nhavasheva Port in India and was expected to arrive there on April 15.
Zodiac Maritime has confirmed that it is the owner of the seized vessel. Aries is said to be chartered by international shipping company MSC from Gortal Shipping, a subsidiary of Zodiac Maritime.
The shipping company said Iranian authorities boarded the ship via helicopter as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz at 2:34 a.m. (UTC) and had rerouted it to Iran with 25 crew members on board.
The company is “working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure their well-being and the safe return of the vessel.”
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have for months launched attacks on shipping in the Red Sea region in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza war.
In response to shipping attacks, both the United States and Britain have carried out strikes against Houthi rebel targets in Yemen.
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