Shipping came under Iranian fire in the Strait of Hormuz region after the United States prolonged a truce while maintaining maritime pressure on Tehran.
Iranian forces fired on two commercial vessels near the Strait of Hormuz on April 22, UK maritime authorities said, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced an extension of a fragile ceasefire with Tehran.
UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in an April 22 incident report that a container ship was attacked by an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) gunboat about 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman, causing “heavy damage” to the vessel’s bridge. The crew was reported safe, with no fires or environmental impact.
In a separate incident, another cargo vessel was fired upon about 8 nautical miles west of Iran and forced to stop, UKMTO said. No damage or injuries were reported.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency, in a post on X, described the first incident as an enforcement action against a ship that had ignored warnings, characterizing the attack as part of Tehran’s maritime control measures in the region.
Tasnim later reported that the IRGC had seized two vessels—MSC Francesca and Epaminondas—and escorted them to Iranian shores, marking the first time Iran had seized ships since the start of the war.
The two vessels were confirmed as “seized” by maritime traffic monitoring service TankerTrackers, which said in a post on X that a third ship—the Euphoria—also came under fire on Wednesday and may also have been seized.
Trump Extends Ceasefire, Keeps Blockade
The incidents came after Trump said Washington would extend its ceasefire with Iran, which had been due to expire on April 22, citing mediation efforts by Pakistan and internal divisions within Iran’s leadership.
He also said that the United States would continue enforcing a naval blockade targeting Iranian-linked shipping, describing Iran’s government as “seriously fractured” and unable to produce a “unified proposal” in response to U.S. demands. These demands include Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz and relinquishing its stockpile of enriched uranium, part of the Trump administration’s effort to prevent Tehran from ever acquiring nuclear weapons.
Last week, the United States imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, part of what officials described as a broader effort to disrupt Tehran’s oil exports and supply networks that bolster the regime’s fighting capacity amid the ongoing war.
U.S. forces have conducted several interdictions of vessels suspected of carrying sanctioned Iranian cargo.
U.S. Central Command said in an April 21 post on X that 28 vessels have been ordered to turn around or return to port since the blockade began.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last week that the blockade would extend beyond Iranian waters, with U.S. forces in other theaters such as the Pacific poised to “pursue any Iranian-flagged vessel or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran,” with the intensified enforcement seeking to further quash Iran’s ability to wage war.
By Tom Ozimek
