Tehran: ‘An act of piracy; we will respond swiftly to the seizure of our ship’

Milan, 20 Apr. (LaPresse) – The Iranian Joint Military Command has announced that Tehran will respond soon to the seizure of an Iranian-flagged merchant ship which, as US President Donald Trump stated, was attempting to evade the naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz. This is the first interception of its kind since the blockade of Iranian ports began last week. Tehran has described the US seizure as an act of piracy. Iranian state media, quoting a spokesperson for the Iranian military command Khatam al-Anbiya, stated that the ship was travelling from China to Iran when it was attacked: “We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will respond soon and react to this armed piracy perpetrated by the US military.” The accusation comes at a time of heightened tension in the region, with the fragile ceasefire between the two countries set to expire at the end of this week. At the same time, Iran has continued to restrict the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global trade route carrying around a fifth of the world’s oil supplies. The United States has not yet responded publicly to Iran’s latest accusation.