TURKEY PERSPECTIVE

Ankara observes the seizures with the attention of a regional power that controls another strategic strait—the Bosphorus. The Daily Sabah details three incidents in sequence: the Revolutionary Guards seized the MSC Francesca (Panama flag) and the Epaminondas (Liberia flag), then fired on a third vessel, the Euphoria, at 15 nautical miles from Oman. The article quotes Iran's Parliament Speaker Qalibaf declaring that reopening the strait is 'impossible with such a flagrant ceasefire violation'—referring to the American blockade, not the Iranian seizures. The Tasnim agency reports that the Francesca is linked to Israel and that the Epaminondas 'falsified its navigation systems.' The Daily Sabah notes that both vessels are now visible on MarineTraffic near Iranian coasts. The British UKMTO confirms the firing caused 'severe damage to the bridge' of one vessel, with no casualties. Turkey's framing is factual but revealing: Turkey understands strait diplomacy intimately. Ankara knows that a country controlling a maritime chokepoint never relinquishes that card without major concessions. Erdogan's silence on Iranian seizures, while attempting to restart Russia-Ukraine negotiations, is a calculated choice: Turkey cannot afford to alienate Tehran.