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Iran is preparing to sell commercial vessels linked to the U.S. and Israel that were seized during the war in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf, with the proceeds earmarked for families affected by the conflict, Hassan Abdollianpour, head of the judiciary’s Center for Lawyers, said on Tuesday.
Iran has not publicly identified all of the vessels covered by the latest announcement. One of the better-documented wartime seizures involved the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca and the Liberia-flagged Epaminondas, which Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized in April after the ships were attempting to leave the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz.
Experts have begun assessing damage from U.S. attacks in southern Hormozgan province and surrounding areas, Abdollianpour added.
The IRGC accused the two ships of operating without required permits and interfering with navigation systems, and described the MSC Francesca as linked to Israel at the time.
Both vessels were then taken into Iranian territorial waters for checks on their cargo and documents. The ships were later moved toward Bandar Abbas, with about 40 crew members aboard in total.
The seizure of the Epaminondas was later confirmed by its Greek management company, Technomar, which reported that Iranian forces had boarded the vessel.
The Liberia-flagged container ship sustained damage to its bridge after coming under gunfire and rocket-propelled grenade fire, although no injuries were reported among its crew. The MSC Francesca was also fired upon but was not damaged.
Separately, Tehran Prosecutor Ali Salehi announced Tuesday that authorities had seized 2,191 bank accounts and 37 vehicles belonging to 394 people accused of collaborating with a "hostile enemy" during the recent war and last year’s protests.
The Tehran judiciary said the latest action was carried out under legislation covering espionage and cooperation with Israel, although authorities did not disclose the identities of the 394 individuals or provide details of the allegations against each person. It also did not give a total valuation for the seized assets or clarify how many of the cases had reached final judicial rulings.
Authorities had previously reported 143 cases involving the seizure of property and other assets from people accused of taking actions against the country or in support of hostile states.
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