Admiral Alireza Tangsiri was accused of leading efforts to disrupt maritime trade, including actions affecting the Strait of Hormuz.
The container ship SELEN, en route to Karachi, was denied passage by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy due to lack of permission and failure to coordinate with Iranian maritime authorities.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced a series of military operations against US and Israeli targets in retaliation for earlier airstrikes. The IRGC claims to have launched multiple missile and drone strikes, and has warned against any potential ground operations within Iranian territory.
The tanker reportedly switched off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponder while navigating the high-risk stretch of the strait and reappeared on tracking systems on March 9.
IRGC said vessels seeking to sail through the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz must obtain Iran's approval; otherwise, they could become targets of Iranian attacks.
'The next two to three weeks will not be decided in Washington.' 'They will be decided in Tehran, in whatever calculation Iran makes about the costs of continued resistance against the costs of appearing to have yielded.'