Iran Escalates in the Strait of Hormuz as IRGC Seizes Two Container Ships After Truce Extension

Iran escalated tensions in the Strait of Hormuz after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on the morning of April 22, 2026, that it had seized two cargo vessels and escorted them toward Iranian shores.

In a post on X, the IRGC said one of the detained ships belonged to Israel. It identified the two vessels as MSC-FRANCESCA, which it described as Israeli-linked, and EPAMINONDAS.

Hours earlier, in the early morning of April 22, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported receiving a notification about an incident involving a container ship. Its captain said a boat affiliated with the IRGC approached the vessel and opened fire, though no fires or injuries to the crew were reported.

The Situation on the Ground in the Strait of Hormuz

Misbar’s team at Alaraby TV tracked maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz to monitor the two ships and found that they departed from the Arabian Gulf off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and attempted to transit the strait through a route different from the one imposed by Iran for outbound passage, south of Qeshm Island.

On April 9, the Iranian Navy published a map of “safe routes” for crossing the Strait of Hormuz from both directions. The map shows the inbound route into the Arabian Gulf between Larak Island and Qeshm Island, while the outbound route runs directly south of Larak Island.

The map also designated a danger zone where passage is prohibited between the following coordinates: 26.708611, 56.326111; 26.709167, 56.689722; 26.376944, 56.692500; and 26.377500, 56.326944.

Neither the map nor the Iranian Navy specified the nature of the danger in the restricted zone. It was widely believed the area may have been mined, especially as reports since March 10 indicated Iran had laid naval mines in the strait. On April 11, United States Central Command announced it was “preparing the necessary conditions to remove mines from the Strait of Hormuz.”

The exact number and locations of the mines remain unclear. The New York Times cited U.S. officials as saying Iran may not know the exact locations of all the mines it planted in the waterway.

The two vessels seized by the IRGC crossed deep into the restricted zone according to the Iranian Navy’s map. As neither ship struck a mine, it is more likely that the “danger” designation referred to the risk of interception and detention by Iranian forces rather than necessarily the presence of mines.

Navigation data show the two ships were stopped around 80 kilometers from the area where the U.S. maritime blockade operations begin in the Gulf of Oman.

According to a previous Misbar analysis, U.S. blockade operations begin in the maritime area near the Iranian town of Kuh Mobarak, while the two ships were stopped off the coast of Sirik.

Satellite imagery captured at 8 a.m. UTC on April 22 at the same coordinates shown in maritime traffic data from MarineTraffic revealed two ships matching the dimensions of MSC-FRANCESCA and EPAMINONDAS, with at least one naval boat nearby, likely belonging to the IRGC.

U.S. Drone Spotted Over Hormuz

At the same time as the IRGC naval forces detained the two ships, Misbar’s team observed a U.S. drone flying over the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.

Flight data from Flightradar24 show that a U.S. surveillance and reconnaissance drone, an MQ-4C Triton, was flying over the Strait of Hormuz at 10 a.m. UTC on April 22.

What Do We Know About the Two Ships?

The vessel EPAMINONDAS carries IMO number 9153862 and sails under the Liberia flag, while MSC-FRANCESCA carries IMO number 9401116 and sails under the Panama flag.

EPAMINONDAS is owned by TECHNOMAR SHIPPING INC, while both EPAMINONDAS and MSC-FRANCESCA are operated by MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co.

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co is a Swiss-Italian company headquartered in Geneva and is one of the world’s largest maritime shipping firms. It is owned by Italian businessman Gianluigi Aponte and his Israeli wife Rafaela Aponte.

It appears the IRGC described MSC Mediterranean as “linked to the Zionist entity” because of its business dealings with Israel, including shipping operations and management of facilities and container terminals in Israel, including the ports of Ashdod and Haifa.

While MSC Mediterranean operates the vessel MSC PARIS, ownership belongs to Gortal Shipping, a subsidiary of Zodiac Maritime, which is owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer, described by Israeli media as “the richest man in Israel.”

Iranian Escalation Despite Truce Extension

The Iranian escalation represented by the seizure of the two vessels came despite U.S. President Donald Trump announcing an extension of the temporary truce with Iran, which had expired on April 21, while U.S.-imposed naval blockade operations against Iranian and Iran-linked ships in the Gulf of Oman continued.

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