Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Wednesday seized two ships and attacked one other in the Strait of Hormuz, the country’s state-affiliated media said, as Tehran claims the U.S. blockade of its ports is a violation of a ceasefire that President Donald Trump extended indefinitely on Tuesday.
Ship movement through the Strait of Hormuz has remained as a standstill as tensions have ratcheted up.
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Iranian media said the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas were being escorted to Iran Wednesday, a move that came after the U.S. seized two Iranian vessels.
Technomar, the management company of the Liberian-registered Epaminondas container ship, said Wednesday afternoon that all crew members are "safe and accounted for."
The attack took place just northeast of Oman’s coast along the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian gunboat made no radio contact before opening fire at the ship, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) .
In a separate alert issued a few hours later, the UKMTO said an outbound cargo ship reported being fired upon around 8 nautical miles off the coast of Iran, near the strait.
The update did not mention who carried out the attack and noted that there are no reports of damage and all crew members are safe.
Arsenio Dominguez, head of the United Nation’s International Maritime Organization, on Wednesday condemned the attacks as "unacceptable" and called for the immediate release of the ships and their crews while calling the situation "extremely volatile."
The UKMTO has not published any details about the third attack claimed by Iranian state media.
Citing Iranian state television, the Associated Press reported that the IRGC has claimed responsibility for two of the attacks and both vessels have been taken into Iranian custody. The state media outlet identified the vessels as the Panama flagged MSC Francesca and the Liberian flagged Epaminodes—which is owned by a Greek company according to the BBC. In a statement IRGC told the state media outlet that the ships were operating without authorization, had “repeatedly violated regulations, manipulated navigational aid systems and sought to covertly exit the Strait of Hormuz.” The state aligned outlet Nour News had previously claimed one of the ships had “ignored the warnings of the Iranian armed forces.” Multiple outlets, including the semi-official Fars and Mehr news agencies, reported that a third ship, the Panama flagged Euphoria was also targeted by the paramilitary group and was now stranded near the Iranian coast.
On Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump announced he was indefinitely extending the U.S.’s ceasefire with Iran as the second round of peace talks remain in limbo. Trump, however, noted that the U.S naval blockade of Iran’s ports will remain in effect during the ceasefire. Iranian officials have dismissed this arrangement with the country’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi tweeting: “Blockading Iranian ports is an act of war and thus a violation of the ceasefire.” Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, echoed a similar stance, telling reporters in New York that the U.S. blockade violates the ceasefire and that any talks between the two sides can resume only after the blockade is lifted.
Global crude oil prices inched up once again towards $100 per barrel as tensions continued to rise near the Strait of Hormuz. As of early Wednesday morning, the global benchmark Brent Crude futures stood at $99.30 per barrel, wiping out last week’s decline after Iran briefly announced the Strait as being open.
Trump Claims His Blockade Is Costing Iran $500 Million A Day And It Wants Hormuz To Reopen (Forbes)
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