Footage analyzed by media shows fishermen maneuvering their boats among partially submerged containers, retrieving boxes from the water. In one clip, a small boat attempts to tow an entire shipping container.
“We heard that the container ship sank, so we are going to collect iPhones and perfumes,” one man in the video explained.
According to reports from Singapore, the GFS Pride, which was sailing under its flag, sank after a fire broke out on board. All 21 crew members were evacuated without injury.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that the container ship hit a sea mine while following an “unauthorized and dangerous” route. The vessel was carrying over 2,500 containers.
Background
- The active phase of the conflict between Iran and the U.S. began on February 28 of this year, when the U.S. and Israel conducted airstrikes in Iran, resulting in the deaths of several high-ranking officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
- On April 12, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by U.S. naval forces. On May 28, the U.S. and Iran reached a 60-day ceasefire memorandum and began negotiations regarding Tehran’s nuclear program. On June 1, Trump announced he had met Iran’s condition for halting hostilities between Israel and Lebanon.
- In the night of June 18, the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding to conclude the war. The following day, CENTCOM reported the official lifting of the blockade on Iranian ports as stipulated in the document. However, after this, both countries resumed hostilities, leading Trump to declare on July 8 that the ceasefire was over.
- Since then, the countries have been negotiating with Pakistan as a mediator. However, public statements by U.S. and Iranian leaders indicate that the parties have not come closer to an agreement.
