Iran demands Israel’s richest man pay $170 million after seizing cargo ship linked to him

(Representative Image)

Iran has demanded a $170 million fine from the owner of a cargo ship that it seized in Gulf waters last year and accused of having ties to Israel, a judicial official said Tuesday.

The Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of Iran's military, intercepted the MSC Aries in April of 2024 and detained its 25 international crew members.

At the time, the official IRNA news agency said the Portuguese-flagged vessel was "managed by Zodiac, which belongs to the Zionist capitalist Eyal Ofer".

On Tuesday, Iranian judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir said charges had been filed and the case was before the courts, though no date had been set for a trial.

"A fine of $170 million has been demanded against its owner, of Israeli origin, accused of financing terrorism," Jahangir said.

MSC representatives underlined that Zodiac is a British company headquartered in London and the vessel was "chartered by MSC", they said in a statement at the time of the seizure.

The United States denounced the seizure of the ship, at the time, as an act of piracy and called for its crew to be released.

Israel's foreign minister called on the European Union to designate the Revolutionary Guards a "terrorist organisation" in response.

At least some of the crew were later freed.

Jahangir said the ship, excluding its cargo, was valued at $170 million and claimed that Ofer -- an Israeli billionaire and shipping magnate -- was an "influential figure" within the Israeli government.

The ship's seizure came months into the war in Gaza, where Israel was fighting Iran-backed Palestinian militants Hamas, whose October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel sparked the conflict.