Iran Seizes Marshall Islands-flagged Container Ship in Gulf

Iranian forces have seized a Marshall Islands-registered container ship in the Gulf in an incident that is likely to add to international tensions in the sensitive region.

Saudi Arabian television initially reported the incident, saying the vessel involved was flying the US flag. However, the Pentagon subsequently identified the vessel as the Maersk Tigris, a Marshall Islands-flagged ship operating a service for Denmark’s Maersk Line.

Vessel tracking services showed that the vessel — which was due to call at Dubai’s Jebel Ali but not at any Iranian port — was sitting off the Iranian island of Qeshm, outside the port of Bandar Abbas. The vessel had changed course sharply while navigating the narrow strait, according to the services.

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