Iran attacks ships in Strait of Hormuz after Trump extends ceasefire

Three commercialized vessels came nether onslaught successful the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday, according to planetary quality agencies, with the U.K. subject and Iran's Revolutionary Guard confirming 2 of the strikes connected cargo ships, perchance jeopardizing efforts to resume bid talks betwixt the U.S. and Iran.

The U.K. military's Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) reported aboriginal Wednesday greeting that an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps gun vessel fired astatine a instrumentality ship 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman. 

There was nary vigor informing earlier the vessel "fired upon the vessel" causing "heavy harm to the bridge," according to UKMTO, which said each unit members were reported to beryllium safe.

Three hours aboriginal UKMTO reported a second incident, this clip 8 nautical miles westbound of Iran's seashore astatine the eastbound entranceway to the Strait of Hormuz, successful which a cargo vessel said it was fired upon and was "now stopped successful the water." 

The unit were "safe and accounted for" and determination was nary notation of the suspected root of the fire, UKMTO said, but suspicion instantly fell connected Iran.

In a statement, Iran's almighty Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said 2 vessels it accused of violating its blockade of the strait "had entered the country without due authorization and allegedly tampered with their navigation systems, thereby endangering maritime safety."  

The IRGC said the ships were intercepted "and escorted to the Iranian coast." 

The Reuters and Associated Press quality agencies and CBS News' British spouse web BBC said a 3rd vessel was deed by gunfire successful the strait Wednesday, but UKMTO did not instantly corroborate that attack.

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An advisor to Iran's almighty parliamentary talker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who's besides 1 of the Islamic Republic's pb negotiators, dismissed President Trump's indefinite ceasefire hold arsenic a ploy to bargain clip for a subject physique up up of a "surprise blow" against his country.

"The hold of the ceasefire by Trump means nothing," Ghalibaf's adjutant Mahdi Mohammadi said successful a station connected X. "The continuation of the siege [U.S. naval blockade] is nary antithetic from the bombing and indispensable beryllium responded to militarily. In addition, the hold of the ceasefire connected Trump's behalf decidedly means buying clip for a astonishment blow."

President Trump said helium was extending the truce to springiness the Iranian authorities clip to formulate a wide effect to his presumption for a wider bid deal, and he's repeatedly voiced optimism that Tehran volition yet capitulate to his demands nether the economical unit imposed by the naval blockade.

But with 2 U.S. craft bearer groups already deployed to the region, determination are much than 50,000 American work members successful the Middle East, compared to the astir 30,000-40,000 typically based there. 

In a handout photograph provided by U.S. Central Command, U.S. forces patrol the Arabian Sea adjacent the M/V Touska, April 20, 2026, aft firing connected the Iranian-flagged cargo vessel that the U.S. accused of attempting to interruption its naval blockade of Iranian ports, adjacent the Strait of Hormuz. Handout/U.S. Navy via Getty

A 3rd carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush, on with 3 rocket destroyers, an amphibious battle vessel carrying astir 2,500 U.S. Marines and a dock landing vessel — utilized to determination radical and hardware from oversea to enactment - are presently connected their mode to the region. 

President Trump says Iran's system is hurting severely and arsenic a result, Tehran wants the Strait of Hormuz opened astatine once.

On his Truth Social level precocious Tuesday night, Mr. Trump said, "Iran is collapsing financially! They privation the Strait of Hormuz opened immediately- Starving for cash! Losing 500 Million Dollars a day. Military and Police complaining that they are not getting paid. SOS!!!"

Iran itself has been mostly bottling up postulation done the captious waterway that a 5th of the world's lipid and liquefied earthy state passes done successful peacetime. The U.S. has been blockading each of Iran's ports. 

President Trump posted connected Truth Social that Iran doesn't privation the Strait of Hormuz closed and that "They lone accidental they privation it closed due to the fact that I person it wholly BLOCKADED (CLOSED!), truthful they simply privation to 'save face.'"

"People approached maine 4 days ago, saying, 'Sir, Iran wants to unfastened up the Strait, immediately.' But if we bash that, determination tin ne'er beryllium a Deal with Iran, unless we stroke up the remainder of their Country, their leaders included!" Mr. Trump wrote.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote connected X that, owed to the ongoing U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, "in a substance of days, Kharg Island retention volition beryllium afloat and the fragile Iranian lipid wells volition beryllium unopen in." 

Kharg Island is simply a captious lipid export terminal for Iran. 

"Constraining Iran's maritime commercialized straight targets the regime's superior gross lifelines," Bessent said. "The US Treasury volition proceed to use maximum unit done Economic Fury to systematically degrade Tehran's quality to generate, move, and repatriate funds."

"Any idiosyncratic oregon vas facilitating these flows—through covert commercialized and finance—risks vulnerability to U.S. sanctions," helium added.

On March 20, the Trump medication temporarily lifted sanctions connected Iranian lipid that is already astatine oversea successful an effort to easiness worldwide state prices. That waiver expired connected Sunday. 

President Trump said Tuesday day connected Truth Social that helium was extending the ceasefire, which had been acceptable to expire successful the coming hours.

"Based connected the information that the Government of Iran is earnestly fractured, not unexpectedly truthful and, upon the petition of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we person been asked to clasp our Attack connected the Country of Iran until specified clip arsenic their leaders and representatives tin travel up with a unified proposal," Mr. Trump wrote. "I person truthful directed our Military to proceed the Blockade and, successful each different respects, stay acceptable and able, and volition truthful widen the Ceasefire until specified clip arsenic their  connection is submitted, and discussions are concluded, 1 mode oregon the other."