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Iran seizes Epaminondas vessel as it was used by US — agency

TASS · · 198 words
Maritime Dispute/Conflict in Iranian Waters

The Tasnim news agency reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized the Epaminondas ship, a Liberian-flagged vessel, citing numerous maritime violations. While the IRGC stated the seizure was due to threats to maritime safety and lack of permits, Greek sources indicated the ship was stationary and not hijacked, and the vessel's owner stated it was under the command of its captain.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://tass.com/world/2122337

analyticsAnalysis

30%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 90%
Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyDetected Techniques

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
warning
Selective Omission 60% confidence
Deliberately leaving out important context or facts that would change interpretation.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

8 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 6
info Single Source 2
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“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, elite army units) has seized the Epaminondas ship because it was used by the US army, the Tasnim news agency reported.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results cite Tasnim news agency reporting that the IRGC seized the Epaminondas vessel because it was used by the US army. This claim is reported by at least two distinct web search snippets referencing this specific source/claim.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a major maritime choke point for world energy trade, has been largely blocked by Iran since 28 February 2026, when the United States and Israel launched …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Strait_of_Hormuz_crisis
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web search NEUTRAL — The naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized the Epaminondas vessel in the Strait of Hormuz because it was being used by the American army. This was reported by Tasnim news …
https://iz.ru/en/2085619/2026-04-25/media-reported-seizure-e…
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web search NEUTRAL — Iran's IRGC seized two cargo ships, Epaminondas and MSC-Francesca, in the Strait of Hormuz, citing navigation violations and lack of permits. This action, amid rising regional tensions and a US naval …
https://www.thedailyjagran.com/world/why-irgc-iran-seized-in…
+ 1 more evidence source
info
“According to it, the Liberian-flagged vessel has repeatedly entered US ports over the past six months and was detained by the IRGC "for numerous maritime violations."”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim states the vessel entered US ports repeatedly over six months and was detained by the IRGC. While the evidence mentions the IRGC seizure and the vessel's flag, none of the provided web search results or Wikipedia entries corroborate the specific details of 'repeatedly entered US ports over the past six months' or the specific basis of detention by the IRGC regarding US ports.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article chronicles a list of ships attacked, damaged or sunk during the 2026 Iran war.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ships_attacked_during_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a major maritime choke point for world energy trade, has been largely blocked by Iran since 28 February 2026, when the United States and Israel launched …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Strait_of_Hormuz_crisis
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 13 April 2026, the United States imposed a naval blockade on Iran following the failure of the Islamabad Talks to end the 2026 Iran war. The US military said the blockade had begun on Monday, 13 Ap…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_naval_block…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“According to the MarineTraffic ship tracking service, Epaminondas location data has not been updated for more than two days.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results explicitly state that, according to the MarineTraffic ship tracking service, the Epaminondas location data had not been updated for more than two days.
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web search NEUTRAL — According to the MarineTraffic ship tracking service, Epaminondas location data has not been updated for more than two days.
https://tass.com/world/2122337
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web search NEUTRAL — Search the MarineTraffic ships database of more than 550000 active and decommissioned vessels. Search for popular ships globally. Find locations of ports and ships using the near Real Time ships map. …
https://www.marinetraffic.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — Marine-Traffic Information about ships and Co. Marinetraffic tracks more than 100,000 ships worldwide. The successful tracking extends from the Indian Ocean to the Great Lakes of Canada, once around t…
https://ship-tracker.org/marinetraffic/
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“The last time the ship was in the Gulf of Oman, west of the Iranian city of Kuhestak.”
CORROBORATED
Two distinct web search results mention the last recorded location of the ship was in the Gulf of Oman, west of Kuhestak, Iran.
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web search NEUTRAL — According to the MarineTraffic ship tracking service, Epaminondas location data has not been updated for more than two days. The last time the ship was in the Gulf of Oman, west of the Iranian city of…
https://tass.com/world/2122337
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web search NEUTRAL — The ship, called the Touska, was intercepted in the Gulf of Oman. Earlier this month, US forces announced they would intercept or turn back vessels travelling to or from Iran's coast.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yv6xr6me3o
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web search NEUTRAL — Iraq targeted Iranian ships, and Iran attacked commercial ships, including Saudi and Kuwaiti oil tankers and even US Navy ships. Tensions in the strait flared up again at the end of 2007 in a series o…
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/23/can-iran-really-shu…
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“Earlier, Greek edition Kathimerini said the container ship, operated by Danish company Maersk and chartered by the Technomar group of Greek shipowner George Giouroukos, came under fire while traveling near Iranian waters.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results confirm that Kathimerini reported the container ship, operated by Maersk and chartered by Technomar (George Giouroukos), came under fire near Iranian waters.
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web search NEUTRAL — The ship was among three container vessels struck on 22 April while transiting the Strait. Its owner, Technomar Shipping, confirmed in an updated statement that after coming under fire from a manned g…
https://www.rivieramm.com/news-content-hub/three-boxships-re…
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web search NEUTRAL — However, Greek authorities stressed the ship “has not been seized” despite being targeted. The vessel, managed by Maersk and chartered by Greek shipowner George Youroukos’ Technomar group, came under …
https://greekherald.com.au/news/greece-denies-iranian-claims…
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web search NEUTRAL — An Iranian boat fired upon the container ship Epaminondas in the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel remains under the captain's control, and the crew, including Ukrainians, was unharmed.
https://unn.ua/en/news/greece-denied-irans-claims-of-seizing…
info
“The crew consists of 21 sailors, all of whom are citizens of Ukraine and the Philippines.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results mention the crew, including Ukrainians, but none of the provided evidence explicitly confirms the total number of sailors (21) or definitively lists both Ukraine and the Philippines as the sole nationalities represented. The evidence is insufficient to corroborate the specific count and dual nationality claim across multiple sources.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Russo-Ukrainian war began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia occupied Crimea and annexed it from Ukraine. It then supported Russian separatist armed…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of about 7,641 islands, with a total area o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The bilateral relations of the Philippines and Ukraine began with a formal agreement in 1992. Ukraine has an embassy in Metro Manila, while the Philippines is represented by its embassy in Warsaw, Pol…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines–Ukraine_relations
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The Greek Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy said the ship had not been hijacked, was motionless near the Iranian coast and was under the command of its captain.”
CORROBORATED
Two distinct web search results report that the Greek Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy stated the ship was not hijacked, was motionless near the Iranian coast, and was under the captain's command. A third source corroborates the rejection of seizure claims.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports (Greek: Υπουργείο Παιδείας, Θρησκευμάτων και Αθλητισμού) is a government department of Greece. One of the oldest ministries, established in 1833…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Education,_Religio…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Greek: Υπουργείο Εξωτερικών, romanized: Ypourgeío Exōterikṓn) is a government department of Greece, headed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The ministry h…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Foreign_Affairs_(G…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy (Greek: Υπουργείο Ναυτιλίας και Νησιωτικής Πολιτικής) is a government department of Greece responsible for managing the nation's maritime and shippi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Maritime_Affairs_a…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The IRGC Navy said they had seized two vessels, including Epaminondas, that "threatened maritime safety, did not have the necessary permits and interfered with navigation systems."”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results report that the IRGC Navy seized two cargo vessels, including Epaminondas, citing reasons such as lack of necessary permits or threatening maritime safety.
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web search NEUTRAL — Iran's navy said it has seized two cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz and taken them to the country's coast after reports that three vessels came under fire from Iranian forces.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdxd074kr8go
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web search NEUTRAL — The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, elite army units) has seized the Epaminondas ship because it was used by the US army, the Tasnim news agency reported.
https://tass.com/world/2122337
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web search NEUTRAL — NEW DELHI: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy on Wednesday claimed to have seized two cargo vessels, the MSC Francesca and Epaminondas, for attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz “…
https://kashmirreader.com/2026/04/23/irgc-seizes-two-cargo-v…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.