Israeli Foreign Minister Accuses Iran of Piracy

The Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has accused the Iranian authorities of piracy on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) following the seizure of a cargo ship sailing under the Portuguese flag in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. He called on the EU and the civilized world to recognize the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.

“The IRGC has seized a Portuguese civil cargo ship belonging to an EU member and declared it belongs to Israel. The regime of Ayatollah Khamenei is a criminal regime that supports the crimes of Hamas and is now engaging in piracy, violating international law. I urge the European Union and the free world to immediately designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization and impose sanctions against Iran,” Katz wrote.

Earlier, Iranian media reported that IRGC units had captured a cargo ship that was passing under the Portuguese flag in the Strait of Hormuz. According to IRNA news agency, a container ship named MCS Aries was intercepted by the IRGC naval commandoes, who conducted an operation on the ship’s deck and evacuated the crew. The cargo ship was reportedly heading towards Iranian territorial waters. The agency stated that the ship, sailing under the Portuguese flag, is owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Maritime company.

This incident comes amid promises from Tehran to respond to a recent Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, which resulted in the deaths of several officers from Iran’s elite military units.