On April 22, the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a statement confirming the detention of two vessels for alleged regulatory violations, which have subsequently been escorted to Iranian coastal waters.

The statement identified the two vessels as the "MSC Francesca" and the "Epaminondas," asserting that they endangered maritime navigational safety by manipulating navigation systems without having obtained the requisite permissions. Both ships have been seized by the IRGC Navy and redirected to the Iranian coastline.

The IRGC statement emphasized that disrupting order and security in the Strait of Hormuz constitutes a "red line" for Iran.

This official confirmation follows an earlier report on April 22 from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which indicated that two container ships had come under fire in separate incidents. These vessels were subsequently identified as likely being the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas .

Maritime security consultant Martin Kelly of EOS Risk Group corroborated on social media platform X that both ships are chartered by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) .

According to preliminary information released by Iranian sources earlier on April 22, a total of three vessels were intercepted by the IRGC in the Persian Gulf and surrounding waters on that day .