The damaged stern of a bulk carrier operated by South Korean shipper HMM, after it was struck by two unidentified objects on May 4 while stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, in this handout picture released on May 10, 2026. South Korean Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. Photo: South Korean Foreign Ministry/REUTERS
The MSC Francesca ship is seen during seizure by the IRGC in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, in this image obtained by Reuters on April 24, 2026. Meysam Mirzadeh/Tasnim/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY Photo: Meysam Mirzadeh/REUTERS
The MSC Francesca ship is seen during seizure by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, in this image obtained by Reuters on April 24, 2026. Meysam Mirzadeh/Tasnim/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY Photo: Meysam Mirzadeh/REUTERS
A screen capture from a video said to show the seizure of the container ships MSC Francesca and Epaminondas in the Strait of Hormuz, broadcasted on Iranian State TV, and released April 22, 2026, shows soldiers taking part in the operation. IRIB/Handout via REUTERS via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IRAN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN IRAN. NO USE IRAN, NO USE BBC PERSIAN. NO USE VOA PERSIAN. NO USE MANOTO. NO USE IRAN INTERNATIONAL. NO USE RADIO FARDA. BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE. VERIFICATION Identities of the container ships confirmed as MSC Francesca and Epaminondas by shapes, colours and types of vessels which matched file imagery of the ships Ship tracking data confirmed the position of the container ships Exact date not verified but no older version of the footage was found posted online before April 22, 2026 Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported the seizures of ships on April 22, 2026. Photo: IRIB/REUTERS
A screen capture from a video said to show the seizure of the container ships MSC Francesca and Epaminondas in the Strait of Hormuz, broadcasted on Iranian State TV, and released April 22, 2026, shows soldiers taking part in the operation. IRIB/Handout via REUTERS via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IRAN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN IRAN. NO USE IRAN, NO USE BBC PERSIAN. NO USE VOA PERSIAN. NO USE MANOTO. NO USE IRAN INTERNATIONAL. NO USE RADIO FARDA. BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE. VERIFICATION Identities of the container ships confirmed as MSC Francesca and Epaminondas by shapes, colours and types of vessels which matched file imagery of the ships Ship tracking data confirmed the position of the container ships Exact date not verified but no older version of the footage was found posted online before April 22, 2026 Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported the seizures of ships on April 22, 2026. Photo: IRIB/REUTERS
