Tension is rising between Israel and Iran. The maritime special forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, seized this Saturday, April 13, a container ship “linked” to Israel in the Strait of Hormuz, in the Gulf, announced the official Irna agency. “A container ship called MCS Aries was seized by maritime special forces” during “an operation carried out with a helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz,” Irna said.
Twenty-five crew members are on board this ship seized by Iran, said the Italian-Swiss shipowner MSC. “We regret to confirm that the MSC Aries, owned by Gortal Shipping Inc, which is affiliated with Zodiac Maritime, and chartered by MSC, was boarded by Iranian authorities by helicopter” and “there are 25 crew members on board,” Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), headquartered in Geneva, told AFP.
Shortly before the announcement of the seizure of this container ship, again this Saturday, the G7 countries indicated that they had established a “permanent round table” on attacks by Houthi rebels against merchant ships in the Red Sea, the minister announced. Italian Minister of Transport Matteo Salvini, whose country holds the presidency of the G7 in 2024. In the press release, the G7 calls on “the Houthis to immediately cease their attacks on merchant ships” and “Iran to refrain from providing support to the Houthis and allowing such attacks.
Iran ‘will suffer the consequences’
Tehran’s seizure of the ship is the latest act in a context of high tensions between Israel and Iran. These tensions rose a notch with the deadly attack carried out on April 1 against the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, blamed on Israel, killing 16 people, according to an NGO, including two generals of the Revolutionary Guards. Tehran threatened to “punish” Israel after the destruction of its consulate. Israel is frequently described as “the Zionist regime” in Iran, a country that does not recognize Israel and is an ally of Hamas.
Iran “will suffer the consequences of its choice to further aggravate the situation”, the Israeli army warned this Saturday. “We have strengthened our preparation to protect Israel from further Iranian aggression. We are also ready to respond,” added Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari in a statement released after Iran announced having seized a ship “linked” to Israel in the Gulf.
Yahya Rahim Safavi, advisor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, quoted by the Isna agency, for his part welcomed the “total panic” which gripped Israel while awaiting the response announced by Tehran. “This psychological, media and political war is more terrifying for them than the war itself, because they expect an attack every night and many of them have fled and taken refuge in shelters,” added the Guide’s advisor. Iranian Supreme Court.
A strike on Israel within a few days?
Against a backdrop of fear of a response from Iran against Israel, American troops are on their way this Saturday to the Middle East. “We are sending additional assets to the region to support regional deterrence efforts and increase the protection of American forces,” a US Defense Department official said in Washington on Friday evening.
While the mediators – Qatar, Egypt, United States – await responses from Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas to their latest truce proposal, fears of a regionalization of the conflict are only increasing. US President Joe Biden said on Friday that he expected Iran to take action “soon”. According to John Kirby, White House spokesman, threats of an Iranian attack against Israel are “credible” and “real.” A US official said Friday At Wall Street Journal that US intelligence reports now indicate an Iranian retaliatory strike within days, “possibly on Israeli soil”, as opposed to Israeli interests elsewhere. According to this official, the attack could take place in the next 24 to 48 hours and Israel is preparing for a possible strike either on the south or the north of the country.
In this context, Joe Biden sent the head of the US Central Command, General Michael Kurilla, to Israel for talks. As early as Wednesday, Joe Biden had indicated that Iran “threatens to launch a major attack against Israel”, assuring his ally of its “unwavering” support, despite tensions between the two countries around the conduct of the Israeli offensive against Hamas. As a “precaution”, and a sign of tensions, the United States announced on Thursday restricting the movements in Israel of its diplomatic staff and members of their families.
Paris advises against traveling to Lebanon and Israel
For his part, the head of French diplomacy Stéphane Séjourné “recommends that the French absolutely abstain from traveling in the coming days to Iran, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories”, his entourage indicated this Friday to the AFP. He also called for the “return of the families of diplomatic agents from Tehran”, as well as a ban on missions by French civil servants in these countries. This Saturday, the security card produced by the Quai d’Orsay placed all of Lebanon in red (formally not recommended) or orange (not recommended unless there is a compelling reason).
Furthermore, the Australian airline Qantas announced this Saturday that it would divert its long-haul flights between London and Perth in order to avoid Iranian airspace. A Qantas spokesperson told AFP that the company would temporarily change flight routes due to “the situation in parts of the Middle East”.
The Perth-London route – normally a direct flight lasting more than 17 hours – will now include a stopover in Singapore to refuel and allow an alternative route to be taken. The return London-Perth flight will continue to be non-stop, on an equally modified route but benefiting from favorable winds. The company’s other flights are not affected by this precautionary measure. The German airline Lufthansa and its Austrian subsidiary Austrian Airlines announced on Friday the suspension of their flights to and from Tehran until Thursday April 18, and would no longer use Iranian airspace.