A video aired on Iranian state TV claims to show armed soldiers seizing two container ships in the Straight of Hormuz for alleged maritime violations. The footage, which aired on Thursday (23 April), shows speedboats with Iranian flags approaching the ships at sea before soldiers get onboard donned with rifles. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps accused the vessels of “attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz covertly”. The ships were identified as the MSC Francesca and Epaminondas, with the incident marking the first such seizure since the war began in late February.

Naval law expert Jennifer Parker of The Conversation lays out what is happening in the Strait of Hormuz

Iranian authorities said they consider the U.S. blockade of the country’s ports as an act of war and a violation of any ceasefire agreement.