Iranian forces opened fire on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday and took two ships into custody, according to Iranian state media and a maritime security alert from the United Kingdom.
The reported seizures came the same day President Donald Trump extended the ceasefire with Iran through Wednesday after peace talks in Pakistan were canceled. U.S. officials said the ceasefire will continue until Tehran presents a “unified proposal” to restart negotiations.
Despite the temporary truce, the United States is keeping its blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea.
Iranian state media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps took control of the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca and the Liberia-flagged Epaminondas and began bringing both vessels toward Iran. The reports also said Iranian forces fired on a third vessel in the strait but did not take it into custody.
International vessel tracking from Marine Traffic showed both ships stationary off Iran’s coast in the strait.
The first public warning of the incident came from the United Kingdom Maritime Operations, which reported an IRGC gunboat caused significant damage to the bridge of one of the container ships.
The escalation injects fresh danger into one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints at the exact moment diplomacy is wobbling. Trump has pitched the blockade as leverage to force Tehran back to the table. Iran, meanwhile, is treating enforcement as provocation, and Wednesday’s ship seizures are a reminder of how fast this conflict can spill into global commerce.
With the ceasefire now running through Wednesday, the pressure point is immediate, whether Iran produces the “unified proposal” the U.S. says it needs, and whether shipping through Hormuz can continue without another confrontation.
Download the FREE Trending Politics App to get the latest news FIRST >>
