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At least three container ships were fired upon in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday morning within hours of each other, according to the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center, maritime intelligence firm Vanguard and BBC Verify.
One vessel told it had permission to transit before an IRGC gunboat opened fire, one stopped dead in the water, and a third sustained hull and accommodation damage.
BBC Verify identified the first vessel as the Epaminondas, owned by a Greek company.
According to UKMTO, the container ship was attacked approximately 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman at around 7:55 a.m.
The vessel's master reported being approached by an IRGC gunboat and that no radio contact was made prior to the incident. Critically, BBC Verify reported the ship had been initially informed that it had permission to transit the Strait of Hormuz, before the IRGC gunboat opened fire with gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, causing heavy damage to the bridge.
All crew were reported safe with no fire or environmental impact.
Maritime security sources who spoke to Reuters said three people were on board the IRGC gunboat.
Iran's Nour News Agency reported the ship had "ignored warnings", directly contradicting the UKMTO account.
BBC Verify identified the second vessel as the Panama-flagged Euphoria, owned by a UAE-based company.
According to UKMTO Warning 043-26, the outbound cargo ship was fired upon approximately 8 nautical miles west of Iran at 6:38 UTC. AIS data from Kpler showed the vessel had begun transiting the strait at 01:10 UTC with Jeddah, Saudi Arabia listed as its destination.
"UKMTO has received a report of an incident 8NM west of Iran. A master of an outbound cargo ship reports having been fired upon and is now stopped in the water. The crew is safe and accounted for. There is no reported damage to the vessel."
UKMTO added that it was "aware of high levels of activity in the SoH area and encourages vessels to report any suspicious activity."
The vessel's master brought the ship to a halt. No damage was reported and the crew was described as safe and accounted for.
Vanguard told BBC Verify that a third container ship, the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca, was targeted approximately 6 nautical miles off the Iranian coast while heading south out of the strait into the Gulf of Oman.
Vanguard said the MSC Francesca was hailed by the IRGC and "instructed to drop anchor."
The ship reported "damage to the hull and accommodation," though no further details were immediately available.
Maritime security sources speaking to Reuters said that a third container ship was fired upon about 8 nautical miles west of Iran while transiting outbound from the Strait of Hormuz.
"The Liberia-flagged vessel, which was not damaged, had stopped in the water. Its crew are safe," the sources added.
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