Iran's seizure of two containerships owned by Swiss firm MSC does not constitute a violation of the ceasefire in the Mideast Gulf war because they were not US or Israeli ships, according to the White House.
The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) seizure of the Francesca and Epaminondas containerships is not considered a violation of the ceasefire to US president Donald Trump since the ships were international vessels, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a televised interview with Fox News on 22 April.
But the IRGC on 22 April said its naval forces had seized two vessels that "belonged to Israel".. MSC, the world's largest container shipping company, has an operational collaboration agreement with Israeli shipping company Zim, which includes vessel sharing. This agreement has made it a frequent target of the Iran-backed Houthis' attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, according to Noam Raydan, senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The IRGC was likely referring to this association when it said the ships belonged to Israel.
Leavitt downplayed Iran's ability to control the strait of Hormuz now that the country's conventional navy has been mostly destroyed.
"These two ships were taken by speedy gunboats," Leavitt said. "Iran has gone from having the most lethal navies in the Middle East to now acting like a bunch of pirates. They don't have control over the strait, this is piracy that we are seeing on display."
But the White House remarks show an absolute misunderstanding of Iran, the IRGC and how they operate, said EOS Marine Risk Group head of advisory Martin Kelly.
"I would argue that the almost zero ships that have passed via the strait of Hormuz in the past few days, and the zero US ships that have passed through, suggest otherwise," Kelly said.
Technology and geography have made it easier for smaller forces to control access to sea lanes, Center for Naval Analyses research program director Joshua Tallis told Argus.
"Iran — like the Houthis in the Red Sea, and Ukraine in the Black Sea — is part of a clear progression demonstrating how small craft, cheap drones, and unique geography can significantly reshape risk decisions for commercial shipping," Tallis said.
