Apple's iPhone 18 smartphones are being advertised in Tehran at unusually low prices as “war booty”, with sellers claiming the devices were recovered from a cargo ship that sank near the Strait of Hormuz, Iran International reported on Saturday.
The advertisements surfaced after a container ship reportedly sank near the strategic waterway on October 13. Videos circulating on social media purportedly showed shipping containers floating in the sea, with iPhones and expensive perfumes scattered in the water as people aboard small boats collected the goods.
According to a report by Ynet News, footage circulated by media outlets across the Arab world on Thursday evening showed people retrieving objects from the water. One boat appeared to be carrying boxes of iPhones, with one report claiming that the devices were Apple's latest iPhone 18 models. The identities of those seen collecting the goods remain unclear.
There has been no official confirmation of the incident.
Iran's cyber police have warned prospective buyers against paying deposits or advance fees before inspecting the products and verifying sellers' identities. Officials cautioned that scammers could exploit the shipwreck reports to advertise products that do not exist, using attractive prices to lure unsuspecting customers.
The advertisements have emerged amid escalating maritime tensions in West Asia, with commercial vessels facing repeated attacks around the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for global oil shipments.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that an “illegal supertanker” carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil was struck by a sea mine while attempting to cross what it described as the “unauthorised” strait. Iran's ISNA news agency reported an explosion and a severe fire following the incident.
Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported that two vessels transiting through the Persian Gulf off Saudi Arabia were struck on Friday. The crews were safe, according to the maritime monitoring agency.
US President Donald Trump has maintained that Washington would continue its blockade of Iranian maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz while negotiations continue, even as attacks on vessels add to concerns over security in the region.