International
Somali Pirates Seize Iranian Fishing Vessel with 23 Aboard
The Hindu2h
THE BRIEF
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Somali pirates seized the Iranian fishing vessel Azini carrying 21 Iranian crew members and two Somali security guards on Thursday between the coastal towns of Bandar Bayla and Hafun.
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The Maritime Security Centre warned that the hijacked vessel could be used as a mother ship to support further attacks on commercial shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean.
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The renewed piracy adds compounding dangers to regional maritime routes already disrupted by the Iran war and Houthi rebel threats against international cargo shipping.