Iran to Seek Compensation via Sale of Seized Vessels Linked to U.S. and Israel

Iran plans to sell commercial vessels linked to the United States and Israel that it seized in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.

The sales proceeds will go to people and families affected by the recent war, a senior Iranian judicial official said on Tuesday.

Hassan Abdollianpour, head of Iran’s judiciary’s Centre for Lawyers, said several U.S. and Israeli vessels had been seized under judicial orders, according to Iran’s Mizan News Agency. He did not name all the vessels or say when they would be sold.

Two container ships seized by Iran during the war were the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca and the Liberia-flagged Epaminondas.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized the ships in April as they were trying to leave the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz.

The IRGC accused the two ships of operating without the required permits and interfering with navigation systems. It also said MSC Francesca was linked to Israel at the time.

Iranian forces took both ships into Iranian territorial waters to check their cargo and documents. They were later moved towards Bandar Abbas.

About 40 crew members were aboard the two ships in total.

Technomar, the Greek company managing Epaminondas, later confirmed that Iranian forces had boarded the ship.

The Liberia-flagged container ship was damaged after its bridge came under gunfire and rocket-propelled grenade fire. No crew members were injured.

MSC Francesca was also fired upon but was not damaged.

Abdollianpour said experts had started checking the damage caused by U.S. attacks in southern Iran’s Hormozgan province and nearby areas.

He added that the money from the vessel sales would be used to help people and families affected by the war.

In a separate move, Tehran Prosecutor Ali Salehi said authorities had seized 2,191 bank accounts and 37 vehicles belonging to 394 people.

The people were accused of working with a “hostile enemy” during the recent war and last year’s protests.

The Tehran judiciary said the action was taken under laws covering espionage and cooperation with Israel.

Authorities did not name the 394 people or give details of the allegations against them.

They also did not say how much the seized assets were worth or how many of the cases had reached final court rulings.

Iranian authorities had earlier reported 143 cases involving the seizure of property and other assets from people accused of acting against the country or supporting hostile states.

References: turkiyetoday, yemenmonitor