By Tom Ozimek
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.
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.
Iran Denounces Blockade, Threatens Retaliation
Iran has condemned the U.S. blockade as a violation of the truce and an act of war, while warning of retaliation.
“Blockading Iranian ports is an act of war and thus a violation of the ceasefire,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an April 21 post on X. He also criticized a recent move by U.S. forces to fire at an Iran-flagged ship’s engine room and seize it during its enforcement of the naval blockade.
“Striking a commercial vessel and taking its crew hostage is an even greater violation,” Araghchi added. “Iran knows how to neutralize restrictions, how to defend its interests, and how to resist bullying.”
The IRGC has also warned that it is prepared to respond forcefully to any renewed hostilities.
Diplomatic efforts to settle the conflict have hit a roadblock, with Iran’s U.N. ambassador telling Iran’s state-run Tasnim News Agency that Tehran is prepared to resume negotiations with the United States only after Washington ends its naval blockade.
Iran has also argued that, under maritime law, the narrow geography of the Strait of Hormuz—less than 24 nautical miles across at its narrowest point—places much of the waterway within overlapping territorial seas of Iran and Oman, bolstering Tehran’s claim to impose navigation rules, including tolls.
The United States and various other nations have called for freedom of navigation through the strait, through which around one-fifth of global seaborne oil and gas normally transit.
