17 Indians On Board Cargo Ship ‘Seized’ Off UAE Coast, Sources Say ‘India In Touch with Iran’; Video Released – News18

After reports surfaced of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seizing an Israeli-linked cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, government sources told CNN-News18 that there are 17 Indian nationals among the crew on board.

The sources further added that they are in contact with Iranian authorities through diplomatic channels, both in Tehran and New Delhi, to ensure the security, welfare, and early release of the Indian nationals.

Commandos from Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard raided a ship near the Strait of Hormuz by helicopter as tensions between Iran and Israel grew following the latter’s alleged strike on the former’s consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus earlier this month.

Sources also informed CNN-News18 that the ship, MSC Aries, was en route to the port of Nhava Sheva in Mumbai, India and the expected arrival was on the night of April 15.

In response to the attack, Israel issued a warning, stating that Iran would face “consequences” for escalating the conflict in the region.

“Iran will bear the consequences for choosing to escalate the situation any further,” stated Israel’s military spokesman Daniel Hagari in a video statement.

US vows ‘ironclad commitment’ to Israel

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said he spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Tzachi Hanegbi, regarding the issue and and reiterated the United States’ “ironclad commitment” to the country.

“This morning, I spoke with my Israeli counterpart, National Security Advisor Hanegbi, to discuss events in the Middle East. During the call, I reiterated the United States’ ironclad commitment to the security of Israel,” stated Sullivan in a social media post on X.

Condemning the Iranian seizure of the ‘British-owned ship’, White House spokesperson Adrienne Watson called on Iran to release the vessel and the crew, stating, “Seizing a civilian vessel without provocation is a blatant violation of international law, and an act of piracy by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.”

“We strongly condemn the Iranian seizure of the Portuguese flagged, British-owned MSC AIRES in international waters. The crew is comprised of Indian, Filipino, Pakistani, Russian & Estonian nationals. We call on Iran to release the vessel & its international crew immediately,” Watson said in a post on X.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz called on the international community to immediately declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation. “The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps have seized a Portuguese civilian cargo ship, belonging to an EU member, claiming Israeli ownership,” he said on X.

“I call on the European Union and the free world to immediately declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guards corps as a terrorist organization and to sanction Iran now,” he added.

MSC Aries is a Portuguese-flagged container ship associated with London-based Zodiac Maritime. Zodiac Maritime is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group. The container vessel was last located off Dubai heading toward the Strait of Hormuz on Friday and has turned off its tracking data. Israeli-affiliated ships moving through the region often employ this technique.

Iranian authorities confirmed later that Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commandos have taken over the vessel and are redirecting it to Iranian waters. “A container ship named ‘MCS Aries’ was seized by the Sepah (Guards) Navy Special Forces by carrying out a heliborne operation near the Strait Of Hormuz. This ship has now been directed towards the territorial waters” of Iran,” the IRNA state news agency said citing the IRGC.

The attack was first reported by the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations and said the vessel was “seized by regional authorities” in the Gulf of Oman off the Emirati port city of Fujairah, without elaborating.

In the video, a crew member could be heard saying: “Don’t come out”.

He is then heard asking his colleagues to head to the ship’s bridge as more commandos were seen rappelling down on the deck. One commando can be seen kneeling above the others to provide them potential cover fire.

CNN-News18 could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the West, particularly after a suspected Israeli strike on the Iranian Consulate in Syria. Meanwhile, the wider West Asian region remains on edge after six months of Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Gulf of Oman is near the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all globally traded oil passes. Fujairah, on the United Arab Emirates’ eastern coast, is a main port in the region for ships to take on new oil cargo, pick up supplies or trade out crew.

(With inputs from Akash Sharma in New Delhi)