Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced that they had seized two vessels in the Strait of Hormuz following the extension of the ceasefire. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that two cargo ships were fired upon in separate incidents in the strait early Wednesday.
The naval forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that, just hours after Donald Trump announced that the United States would extend the ceasefire with Iran, they seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz and redirected them toward Iranian shores.
The Guards said that the vessels, named MSC Francesca and Epaminodes, had violated maritime regulations and endangered navigation by manipulating their tracking systems.
“Red line due to blockade”
The statement noted that the ships were detained and escorted toward Iranian waters, adding that any disruption to security in the Strait of Hormuz is a “red line” due to the blockade imposed by the United States on Iranian ports.
UK: Ships were fired upon
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that two cargo ships were fired upon in separate incidents in the strait early Wednesday.
It said that a container ship northeast of Oman reported being approached by a Revolutionary Guard warship, which opened fire without radio contact, causing heavy damage to the vessel’s bridge. All crew members were reported safe.
In a separate incident in western Iran, an outbound cargo ship was fired upon and left stationary in the water. UKMTO stated that the crew was safe and no damage was reported.
Talks stalled, but ceasefire extended
Trump said on Tuesday that he would extend the fragile ceasefire with Iran indefinitely, even though plans for new negotiations had stalled.
These incidents occurred at a time of rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route that previously handled about one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas flow.