The Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf.
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A ship was seized by “regional authorities” between the United Arab Emirates and Iran, the maritime security agency said on Saturday, days after Iran warned it could shut down maritime traffic in the region.
UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the ship was seized 50 nautical miles (92 kilometers) northeast of Fujairah, near the Strait of Hormuz, which forms the entrance to the bay.
British maritime security company Ambrey reported a “boarding” incident at the same location but gave no further details.
The maritime tracking website said the ship was MSC Aries, a unit of Zodiac Maritime, an international shipping company partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer.
Reuters could not immediately confirm this, and when asked whether the regional authorities were Iranian and whether the seized vessel was the MSC Aries, the UKMTO said it could not provide further information.
Zodiac Maritime did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Iranian authorities did not immediately make any public statement on the incident.
A US defense official said “we are aware of the UKMTO report and we are monitoring it” but would not confirm or deny the ship’s name when asked if the ship was the MSC Aries.
On Tuesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy Commander Alireza Donsiri said the Strait of Hormuz could be closed if deemed necessary.
He said Iran views Israel’s presence in the United Arab Emirates, with which it established diplomatic relations in 2020 as part of the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords, as a threat.
Regional tensions have escalated since the start of Israel’s operation in Gaza in October, with Israel and its U.S. ally clashing repeatedly with Iran-aligned groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
Iran has threatened to retaliate for a suspected Israeli airstrike on its consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus on April 1, which killed seven Revolutionary Guard officers, including two senior commanders.
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group has been attacking shipping in the Red Sea for months, disrupting global trade and saying it targets ships linked to Israel in retaliation for Israel’s actions in Gaza.
In response to the shipping attacks, the United States and Britain carried out strikes against Houthi targets.
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