Iranian troops accused of seizing Israel-linked ship
Description
The MSC Aries was boarded by Iranian special forces about 50 miles (80km) off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, a statement from MSC said.
Footage obtained by the AP news agency appeared to show troops rappelling onto the vessel from a helicopter.
The Portuguese-flagged ship is linked to Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer.
The incident comes amid heightened expectation of an Iranian attack on Israel after an airstrike destroyed Iran's consulate in Damascus at the start of April. Israel said on Saturday Iran would bear the consequences for choosing to escalate the situation any further.The UK's Maritime Trade Operations agency confirmed the boarding in a statement. It made no mention of Iranian involvement, instead stating that the ship had been seized by "regional authorities" off the coast of Fujairah in the UAE.
However, Iranian media has been quick to trumpet the involvement of the country's special forces in the attack.
The country's state news agency, Irna, said the naval branch of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) had seized the MSC Aries as it was "linked to Israel". It added that the ship was in the process of being transported to Iranian waters.
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