Iran’s military has admitted carrying out an attack on the Thai-flagged cargo ship Mayuree Naree while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz, claiming the vessel ignored warnings and attempted to pass through the strategic waterway unlawfully.

Fars and other Iranian media reported on March 11 that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had issued a statement saying Iranian forces attacked two ships in the Strait of Hormuz, including the Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree. Reuters also reported that the Revolutionary Guards had claimed responsibility for the strike, in what was described as their first direct engagement against merchant shipping in the current escalation.

According to the IRGC statement, Mayuree Naree came under fire after it had “ignored warnings” and tried to move through the Strait of Hormuz illegally. Iran also said it had attacked another merchant vessel, the Liberia-flagged Express Rome, with a missile after it allegedly disregarded warnings from the IRGC navy earlier the same day. The Express Rome claim appeared in Iranian reporting, although the most widely cited international reports focused on separate incidents involving other vessels.







Reports from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), cited by Reuters and other outlets, said merchant ships in the Gulf region have faced repeated attacks since the United States and Israel began strikes on Iran on February 28, followed by Iranian retaliation. Reuters said the March 11 incidents brought the number of reported attacks in or near the Gulf region since then to at least 12, while another Reuters report put the tally at at least 14.