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Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy seized two vessels for what it described as maritime violations and transferred them to Iranian shores, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday.In a statement, the Guards said the ships, which they identified as the MSC Francesca and the Epaminodes, were detained for "operating without the required authorization and for manipulating navigation systems", adding that this endangered maritime safety.(Reuters - Reporting by Dubai Newsroom, Editing by Louise

At least three container ships were hit by gunfire in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, maritime security sources and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.Iran has imposed restrictions on ships using the strait, first in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli bombardment of the country, and then in response to a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.A Liberia-flagged container ship sustained damage to its bridge after being hit by gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades northeast of Oman.The UKMTO said the master of the vessel reported being approached by an IRGC gunboat. The vessel, it said, was subsequently fired upon.

Fraudulent messages promising safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for cryptocurrency have been sent to some shipping companies whose vessels are stranded west of the waterway, Greek maritime risk management firm MARISKS has warned.The U.S. has maintained its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran has lifted and then re-imposed its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passed before war broke out in the Middle East.Amid ceasefire talks, Tehran, which controls the chokepoint, has proposed tolls on vessels to safely transit.

Concerns grew on Monday that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran might not hold after the U.S. said it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade and Iran vowed to retaliate.Efforts to build a more lasting peace in the region likewise appeared to be on shaky ground, as Iran said it would not participate in a second round of negotiations that the U.S. had hoped to kick off before the ceasefire expires on Tuesday.The U.S. has maintained a blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran has lifted and then reimposed its own blockade on marine traffic passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which typically handles roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply.The U.S.

Italy’s Fincantieri will lead the upgrade of the PPA-class multipurpose combat ships to a full combat system configuration under a new contract.The agreement, signed with the European defense procurement agency OCCAR, covers the integration of advanced capabilities into vessels currently in service and under construction.Fincantieri is part of a temporary consortium with Leonardo, with its share of the contract valued at about $73 million (€62 million).The work includes upgrading vessels from ‘Light’ and ‘Light Plus’ configurations to a ‘Full Combat System’ configuration, as well as introducing enhanced cyber defense capabilities.