TURKEY PERSPECTIVE

Ankara watched the seizures with the attention of a regional power that controls another strategic strait -- the Bosphorus. The Daily Sabah detailed the three incidents in sequence: the IRGC seized the MSC Francesca (Panama-flagged) and the Epaminondas (Liberia-flagged), then fired on a third vessel, the Euphoria, 15 nautical miles off Oman. The article quotes Iran's parliament speaker Qalibaf declaring that reopening the strait is 'impossible with such a flagrant breach of the ceasefire' -- referring to the American blockade, not the Iranian seizures. Iran's Tasnim agency reported the Francesca was linked to Israel and the Epaminondas was 'tampering with its navigation systems.' The Daily Sabah noted both ships were now visible on MarineTraffic near Iranian shores. The British UKMTO confirmed gunfire causing 'heavy damage to the bridge' of one vessel, with no casualties. Turkey's framing is factual but revealing: Ankara intimately understands strait diplomacy. Turkey knows that a country controlling a maritime passage never surrenders that card without a major concession. Erdogan's silence on the Iranian seizures, even as he tries to restart Russia-Ukraine negotiations, is a calculated choice: Turkey does not want to alienate Tehran.