Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday that its naval forces seized two container ships as they tried to cross the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed since the start of the war, AFP reported.
The development comes despite US President Donald Trump announcing he was extending the ceasefire to allow more time for peace talks, after Tehran refused to send a delegation to the Pakistani capital Islamabad for a second round of talks.
In a statement, the IRGC said: “The naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps identified and stopped two ships violating the rules in the Strait of Hormuz this morning,” adding: “The two offending ships… were seized by the IRGC naval forces and directed to the Iranian coast.”
AFP, citing British maritime security monitors, said at least three commercial vessels reported gunboat incidents in the Strait of Hormuz, a key global route for oil and gas in the Persian Gulf where US and Iranian forces are competing for control.
While one of the ships was identified as the Panamanian-flagged container ship MSC Francesca, the other was the Liberian-flagged Epaminodas. According to Marine Traffic, the last known positions of both these vessels were reported closer to the Iranian coast of the Strait of Hormuz, which lies northeast of Oman.
The US blockade continues
The attack on vessels trying to cross Hormuz comes as the US military continues its naval blockade of ports in and out of Iran. The blockade was announced by US President Donald Trump and was implemented on April 13, a day after it was reported that peace talks between the US and Iran in Islamabad had failed despite negotiations lasting over 21 hours.
Despite Iran opening the Strait of Hormuz for nearly 24 hours last week, Trump indicated in a Truth Social post that the US blockade would continue, a move that did not sit well with the Islamic Republic, which has also closed the strait to commercial vessels again. After the strait was closed again, Tehran said vessels must apply for permission to leave or enter the gulf via Hormuz, a narrow but arterial waterway that, along with other key commodities, accounts for about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas exports.
Peace talks between the US and Iran in limbo?
The fate of the US-Iran peace talks hosted by Pakistan remains unclear. After the first round of talks failed, Tehran accused the US of making excessive demands on the Strait of Hormuz and its nuclear program. The US, on the other hand, accused Iran of choosing not to accept Washington’s terms.
US Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Pakistan has been postponed after Iran announced it would not send a delegation to new talks until the military blockade of its ports ends.
Citing Iranian lawmaker Ahmad Naderi, the CNN report reiterated that no Iranian delegation had traveled to Pakistan for the talks.
Iran recognizes ceasefire extension
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei acknowledged the ceasefire extension, according to AP. Baghaei, however, did not make it clear in an interview with Iran’s state television whether Tehran was ready to participate in a new round of talks.
“Diplomacy is a tool to ensure national interests and security, and whenever we conclude that there are necessary and reasonable conditions for using this tool to achieve national interests and to consolidate the achievements of the Iranian nation in thwarting the insidious objectives of enemies, we will take action,” he reportedly said.
This is a developing story. Further details were awaited.
