"We've received confirmation that among the crew aboard the ship seized by the IRGC in the Strait of Hormuz is also an Estonian resident," Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said on Sunday.

"We've contacted the individual's family, and together with our partners we're implementing measures at our disposal to ensure that Iranian authorities release the ship's crew, including the Estonian resident, so they can return home," Tsahkna added.

The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Iran's official state news agency, reported Saturday that the Special Naval Force of the IRGC had seized the MCS Aries, an Israel-linked container ship, near the Strait of Hormuz.

"Members of the force carried out a heliborne operation on the ship's deck, directing it toward Iran's territorial waters," the IRNA wrote. "The Portuguese flagged vessel is operated by the Zodiac Maritime Shipping Company, which is partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer."

The Italian-Swiss Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) confirmed Saturday that there were 25 people aboard the container ship that had been seized in the Persian Gulf, acknowledging that at approximately 2:43 a.m. UTC, Iranian forces came aboard the vessel by helicopter.

"She has 25 crew on board, and we are working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure their wellbeing and [the] safe return of the vessel," MSC said.

Retaliation following Israel's embassy strike

The ship seizure came amid heightened expectation of an Iranian attack on Israel after Israel's deadly bombing of the consular annex of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, Syria on April 1, the BBC reported, adding that Israel stated Saturday that Iran would "bear the consequences for choosing to escalate the situation any further."

Overnight into Sunday, Iran also launched hundreds of drones and missiles against Israel in what the BBC likewise described as a "widely anticipated reprisal attack."

The IRGC said it had launched the attack "in retaliation against the Zionist regime's repeated crimes, including the attack on the Iranian Embassy's consulate in Damascus."

The embassy attack had been preceded by likewise deadly suspected Israeli strikes on Damascus and Aleppo in March.

According to an Israeli military spokesperson, launches this Sunday "numbered more than 300," but 99 percent of them were intercepted in what was described by Israel as a "very significant strategic success," the Associated Press reported.

U.S. President Joe Biden said U.S. forces helped Israel down "nearly all" of the drones and missiles, and pledged to convene allies to develop a unified response.

Estonia is a member of NATO alongside the U.S.

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