Iran escalates Hormuz ‘tit-for-tat’ by seizing ship connected to billionaire with ties to Trump and Macron

(SeaPRwire) –   Tensions heightened in the Strait of Hormuz on April 22 after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized two vessels, an action analysts characterize as “tit-for-tat” retaliation against the United States. Notably, one of the seized ships is connected to a billionaire shipping magnate with close ties to former President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Reuters reported on Thursday that video broadcast by Iranian state television allegedly depicts IRGC forces seizing container ships within the Strait.

One of the vessels, the MSC Francesca, is owned by MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, which was established by Italian billionaire Gianluigi Aponte and is currently managed by his two children, Digital has learned.

“Approximately 20 heavily armed Iranians stormed the vessel. The sailors are under Iranian control, their movement on board is restricted, but the Iranians are treating them well,” a relative of one of the MSC Francesca crew members told Reuters.

“The ship is anchored nine nautical miles off the Iranian coast. Negotiations between MSC and Iran are ongoing, and our sailors are safe,” Montenegro’s Minister of Maritime Affairs, Filip Radulovic, stated to state broadcaster RTCG.

Maritime intelligence firm Windward AI identified the IRGC’s “tit-for-tat” strategy in light of the recent seizure involving an MSC vessel.

This incident occurred following a U.S. naval blockade implemented on April 13, following Tehran’s threats of retaliation after U.S. forces seized an Iranian ship.

“The IRGC attacked three ships. It captured and took two of them—the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas—while the Euphoria managed to escape,” Windward AI co-founder Ami Daniel told Digital.

“This constitutes a ‘tit-for-tat’ operation by the IRGC, which, alongside the Houthis, has long asserted a connection between MSC and Israel.”

“Aponte, the owner and chairman, has a Jewish wife, and MSC calls at Israel; however, this is true for all major shipping lines.”

Bloomberg reported on April 13 that Diego Aponte, Gianluigi’s son, had been cultivating “inroads with Trump’s circle.”

He also assisted in arranging a November 2025 White House meeting with Swiss business leaders that resulted in a preliminary agreement to reduce the 39% tariffs imposed on Switzerland during the summer.

Over the past year, MSC’s relationship with the White House has positioned Gianluigi Aponte as a central figure in a $19 billion deal with Li Ka-shing. As MSC and BlackRock sought to acquire two Panama Canal ports under pressure from Trump to place them in “friendly” hands, the outlet noted.

With a net worth of at least $37 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, it is Gianluigi Aponte and his wife, Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, who appear to associate with world leaders.

MSC executive chairman Gianluigi Aponte and Rafaela have been photographed with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Rafaela is also reportedly related to Alexis Kohler (his mother is said to be her cousin), who served as Macron’s secretary-general from May 2017 to April 14, 2025, and was referred to as “Macron’s second brain.”

Sources told Reuters on Thursday that the Aponte family’s ship, carrying roughly 40 crew members, was taken toward Iran’s port of Bandar Abbas by the Iranian navy.

Officials stated that four crew members, including the captain, are from Montenegro, while Croatia’s foreign ministry confirmed that two Croatian nationals are also on board.

MSC declined to comment, Reuters confirmed.

The IRGC Navy asserted that both captured vessels were “operating without the necessary permits.”

According to Lloyd’s List, the 2008-built MSC Francesca “typically operates in service between the U.S. West Coast, Asia, and the Middle East Gulf.”