Iran has released a new video purportedly showing the seizure of two commercial container ships, the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas, in the Strait of Hormuz.

The video, which aired on state television, appears to show a speedboat approaching one of the ships before armed personnel carrying rifles storm the vessel. The authenticity of the video and the full circumstances surrounding the encounter could not be independently verified.

Iran’s IRGC Navy has released footage of its forces seizing a pair of container ships in the Strait of Hormuz this morning. pic.twitter.com/hAbmTTe8DR

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) April 22, 2026

The Panama-flagged MSC Francesca and the Liberia-flagged Epaminondas were seized on Wednesday after they had “endangered maritime security by operating without the necessary permits and tampering with navigation systems,” according to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy. 

Separate reports said the vessels were later moved toward the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas with about 40 crew members onboard, including nationals from several countries.

“Some 20 Iranians armed to the teeth stormed the ship. Sailors are under Iranians’ control, their movements on the ship are limited, but the Iranians are treating them well,” a relative of one of the seafarers told Reuters.

It is unclear how many crew are aboard the MSC Francesca. According to Montenegro’s minister of maritime affairs, Filip Radulovic, four sailors on the MSC Francesca, including its captain, are from Montenegro. Two Croatians are also aboard.

“Negotiations between MSC and Iran are ongoing, our sailors are fine,” he added. 

Meanwhile, the Liberia-flagged Epaminondas has a crew of 21 members made up of Ukrainians and Filipinos, according to the Greek coast guard.

There has been no information released about what the cargo the ships were carrying.

The vessels were seized days after Iran vowed to retaliate following the U.S. seizure of the cargo ship Touska on Sunday.