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An India-bound ship, seized by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, puts Gujarat Port cargo at risk.

Iran had gone a notch higher on Wednesday by seizing two commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, including one vessel heading to Gujarat, as tensions between the two countries escalated as the US and Iran continued the confrontation. The ships, which were the shipping company MSC Francesca and Epaminondas, were hijacked by the Iranian elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and escorted to Iranian waters, as established by Iranian state television. 

The marine traffic data show that Epaminondas (a Liberian-flagged container ship) was heading to Mundra Port in the Kutch district of Gujarat when it was intercepted, and its navigation status was then given as stopped.

The Revolutionary Guard of Iran said it had seized the ships because they tried to violate the Strait of Hormuz and did not have permission to do so, while Speaker of the Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that the Strait of Hormuz would never be reopened until the US naval blockade was lifted. 

India is likely to take alarm by the interception of a vessel bound for Gujarat since the country heavily depends on the sea trade routes via the Strait of Hormuz. A disruption of any length may have devastating effects on the supply chains, especially those related to energy. 

The disruption of oil supply is already the biggest oil supply disruption in history after Iran attacked tankers, and about 20% of the world's crude supplies moved through the strait prior to the war.