Iranian fishermen along the Persian Gulf have set aside their usual morning catch this week to hunt for iPhones and French perfume floating across the Strait of Hormuz. The search followed the sinking of the container ship GFS Pride, which left its cargo scattered across the waterway.
The ship went down on October 14, and hundreds of local men headed out in small boats into the warm coastal waters. The accident released more than 2,500 shipping containers into the sea.
Locals salvage containers from the Strait of Hormuz
Video from the scene showed boats weaving between containers that were half under water, while residents hauled cargo boxes from the sea. One widely shared clip showed a small motorboat attempting to tow an enormous container.
Conflicting accounts of how the ship was destroyed
Accounts of what destroyed the vessel differ. The ship’s registry in Singapore said a sudden onboard fire caused it to sink, but all 21 crew members were evacuated safely.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy, however, said the ship had strayed from its approved route and struck a sea mine, which triggered the fire. The loss is described as the third ship lost in the current conflict, a development that points to rising IRGC attacks in this vital trade area.
Linking the reopening of the strait to wider regional politics, army spokesman Brig Gen Mohammad Akraminia warned that Iranian forces would remove United States troops if they stayed in the area. He said the waterway would reopen and the global economy would benefit if America withdrew, and he urged commercial shipowners to use approved security routes.
Meanwhile, fighting intensified along other key shipping lanes near the Arabian Peninsula. The Saudi-led coalition said it stopped several missiles and drones aimed at Riyadh and Yanbu, while Houthi forces tightened their siege of Taiz, Yemen.
