Iranian Soldiers in Masks Climb Ladder... Iran Releases Footage of Vessel Seizure in Strait of Hormuz

Footage Shows Armed Forces Boarding Merchant Vessel

As the second round of ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran has effectively collapsed, Iran has released footage showing the seizure of a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.

Scene of the Iranian military seizing a merchant ship, released by Iranian state television. Photo by ABC News

According to ABC News on April 22 (local time), Iran's state media released a video on the same day showing Iranian military forces approaching and capturing a commercial ship.

The video depicts Iranian soldiers, wearing white masks and armed with rifles, approaching the vessel on high-speed boats, placing a ladder against the ship, and boarding the deck.

On the same day, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced in a statement that it had seized two ships within the Strait of Hormuz and brought them into Iranian territorial waters.

The IRGC claimed that the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca and the Liberia-flagged Epaminondas attempted to pass through the disputed waters without the necessary permits, and stated that the ships were moved to the Iranian coast.

This latest seizure by Iran took place after U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally declared an extension of the ceasefire with Iran, one day before the scheduled end of the "two-week truce." As the U.S. maintains its maritime blockade policy against Iran, Iran has been escalating military tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.