Shipping analytics firm Kpler reported movements indicating that some vessels linked to Iran completed transits through the strategic waterway.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Maritime tracking data showed Tuesday that several Iran-linked vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz despite a U.S. naval blockade, as the U.S. military maintained that enforcement actions had prevented any successful breaches and forced multiple ships to turn back.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had stopped vessels attempting to leave Iranian ports during the first 48 hours of the blockade.

“Ten vessels have now been turned around, and ZERO ships have broken through since the start of the US blockade on Monday,” CENTCOM said in a post on X. The command had earlier reported nine ships turned back but later added a 10th vessel that it said was “redirected” back to Iran by a U.S. guided missile destroyer.

Despite those claims, shipping analytics firm Kpler reported movements indicating that some vessels linked to Iran completed transits through the strategic waterway.

According to data cited by AFP, the Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Christianna crossed the strait after unloading 74,000 tonnes of corn at the Iranian port of Bandar Imam Khomeini in the Gulf, passing Iran’s Larak Island on Monday.

Kpler data also showed that the Comoros-flagged tanker Elpis was near Larak Island around 1100 GMT and cleared the strait about 1600 GMT.

The tanker was carrying 31,000 tonnes of methanol after departing the Iranian port of Bushehr in the Gulf on March 31.

Another vessel identified by tracking data, the Argo Maris, was also reported to have sailed from Iran and crossed the strait.

Maritime experts cautioned that vessel tracking information in the region may be unreliable, noting that signals are frequently disrupted or manipulated amid heightened tensions.

The conflicting accounts highlight ongoing disputes over the effectiveness of the U.S. naval blockade as Washington seeks to restrict maritime activity linked to Iran while maintaining control over traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

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Band memorabilia sent to Israel was intentionally damaged; shipping company offers refunds, but won’t investigate.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli fans of the band Coldplay were shocked to discover that merchandise they ordered was intentionally damaged, presumably because the items were bound for Israel.

Numerous Israelis, who are members of Coldplay’s fan club, ordered special-edition merchandise that included a record and inserts autographed by the band’s members.

“I opened the package and saw that everything was torn and the autographs were ripped,” Coldplay fan Emily Pink told TV journalist Guy Pines.

Pink said she had confirmed with other Coldplay fans that everyone in Israel received damaged merchandise.

“A lot of us believe this is antisemitic. This is something that we paid money for, and the damage isn’t a mistake – it’s intentional,” she added.

Idan Karlan, another Coldplay fan, said that everyone who ordered merchandise to Israel received damaged items.

“Apparently the shipping company destroyed the merchandise on purpose when they saw that the package was bound for Israel,” Karlan told Guy Pines.

Karlan said that he had received an unsatisfactory response by the shipping company, and that the business appeared to be uninterested in discovering the source of the intentional damage.

“There is something big here, that all packages are sent to Israel damaged like this,” said Karlan.

But the “company simply said, ‘here’s a full refund, thanks and bye.’ Since then, they haven’t responded to us.”

Shir Beno, who also received damaged merchandise, stressed that the band and shipping company need to take responsibility for the intentional damage.

“It’s not about money,” Beno said. “We should not be sent damaged products just because we are from Israel. If this is due to antisemitism, it needs to be dealt with immediately.”

Pink and Karlan said that they were extremely disappointed that Coldplay has not publicly commented on the intentionally damaged merchandise.

“I see them in a different light now,” Pink said.

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A Muslim country, Malaysia has no diplomatic relations or trading links with Israel.

By Ben Cohen, The Algemeiner

Malaysia’s prime minister announced on Wednesday that cargo ships operated by Israel’s ZIM shipping company were banned from docking at the southeast Asian country’s ports.

“The Malaysian government decided to block and disallow the Israeli-based shipping company ZIM from docking at any Malaysian port,” Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a statement. He also clarified that the ban applied to any ship traveling under the Israeli flag.

Ibrahim added that any ships bound for Israel from Malaysia would be prevented from loading their cargoes.

“These sanctions are a response to Israel’s actions that ignore basic humanitarian principles and violate international law through the ongoing massacre and atrocities against Palestinians,” Ibrahim emphasized.

A Muslim country, Malaysia has no diplomatic relations or trading links with Israel. However, ZIM ships were given permission to dock in Malaysia in 2002, a decision that was rescinded on Wednesday.

Malaysian politicians are no strangers to antisemitic outbursts. The country’s former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, now 98-years-old, has said that he is proud to be called an antisemite. “How can I be otherwise, when the Jews who so often talk of the horrors they suffered during the Holocaust show the same Nazi cruelty and hardheartedness towards not just their enemies but even towards their allies should any try to stop the senseless killing of their Palestinian enemies,” he stated during a 2012 speech.

His rival and successor Ibrahim, who was appointed as prime minister in Nov. 2022, has made similar comments in the past, including the accusation that the Malaysian government was controlled by agents of Mossad, Israel’s intelligence service. Since the Hamas pogrom in southern Israel on Oct. 7, Ibrahim has doubled down on his rhetoric targeting the Jewish state.

“Palestine is colonized through apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and now genocide,” Ibrahim told Malaysian lawmakers last month. In a reference to the Hamas atrocities, he added: “Whatever happened is the legitimate right and struggle of the Palestinian people.”

One academic specializing in Malaysian affairs at the time assessed Ibrahim’s speech in terms of his broader political strategy.

“Anwar has basically used the Palestine issue to try to shore up his Islamist credentials,” Bridget Welsh, an honorary research associate with the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute Malaysia, told the Japan Times following the speech. “It’s interesting to see how many pages he’s taking from Mahathir’s playbook in his first year in office, one of which is making this issue about him fighting for Palestine.”

Antisemitic sentiments are widespread among Malaysia’s largely Muslim population. According to research conducted by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), 66 percent of Malaysians believe Jews are more loyal to Israel than the countries in which they reside, while 64 percent think that Jews exercise “too much control” over the US government.

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