waters of the Islamic Republic. "The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval force this morning identified and stopped in the Strait of Hormuz two violating ships", the Guards said in a statement. "The two offending ships... were seized by the IRGC's naval forces and directed to the Iranian coast." They identified one ship as "MSC-FRANCESCA", which they said belonged "to the Zionist regime" in reference to Israel, and the other as "EPAMINONDAS", which they said was "tampering with navigation systems and jeopardising maritime security". The Guards further warned against any action against the regulations imposed by the Islamic republic in the strait "as well as activities contrary to the safe passage" through the waterway. Tehran has said vessels must seek permission to leave off enter the Gulf through Hormuz, through a route that in peacetime accounts for a fifth of the world's oil and gas exports along with other vital commodities. (BBC)