IN BRIEF
- Iran has seized two cargo ships, accusing them of operating without permits and tampering with navigation systems.
- Iranian officials said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed, calling the US blockade a "blatant violation" of the ceasefire.
Iran said it had captured two container ships seeking to exit the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz overnight after firing on them and another vessel, its first seizures since its war with the United States and Israel began in February.
Iran's Tasnim news agency reported the seizures, adding that its Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy had warned that any disruption to order and safety in the strait would be considered a "red line".
The country's actions to bottleneck the strait, used to transit about one-fifth of the world's daily oil and gas supply, have caused the worst disruption in energy supplies in history. The strait usually sees about 130 vessels a day enter and exit the Gulf, but that has dwindled to just a few ships passing through every day.
After several weeks, the US began a blockade of Iranian ships as well. With peace talks currently on hold, the fate of shipping through the vital artery remains up in the air.
"The latest seizures make clear, even an ‘open’ Strait of Hormuz is not a safe Strait of Hormuz for seafarers, ships and cargo,” said Peter Sand, chief analyst at ocean and air freight intelligence platform Xeneta.
What are the ships that Iran has seized?
UK-based maritime security monitors confirmed that three commercial vessels had reported incidents involving gunboats in the Strait of Hormuz.
"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval force this morning identified and stopped in the Strait of Hormuz two violating ships," the Guards said.
"The two offending ships ... were seized by the IRGC's naval forces and directed to the Iranian coast."
They identified one ship as the Panama-flagged container ship MSC Francesca and the Liberia-flagged Epaminondas. The tracking site Marine Traffic showed the last known positions of both vessels closer to the Iranian coast of the strait, northeast of Oman.
The IRGC accused the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas of operating without required permits and tampering with their navigation systems.
Earlier, the British maritime security monitor UKMTO said one container ship reported it was fired upon by a boat belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guards 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman, causing damage to the bridge but no casualties.
The seizure of one of the ships, MSC Francesca, was confirmed by Montenegro's minister of maritime affairs, who said four Montenegrin seafarers were on board and that they and the rest of the crew were safe.
"Negotiations between the shipping company and the Iranian side are ongoing, and the relevant state authorities are in constant contact with the crew," the minister, Filip Radulovic, said on X.
There was no immediate information about what, if any, cargo the ships were carrying.
Iran says Hormuz won't open until blockade lifted
Iran said on Thursday AEST it would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz as long as the US naval blockade remained in place, calling it a "blatant violation" of the ceasefire between the longtime foes.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the country was appreciative of Pakistan's efforts to end the Middle East war but did not comment on a ceasefire extension announced by the United States.
US President Donald Trump had said on Tuesday he was extending the truce following a request by Pakistani mediators and to allow more time for peace talks.
"A complete ceasefire only has meaning if it is not violated through a naval blockade," Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Wednesday.
"Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is not possible amid a blatant violation of the ceasefire."
Despite the latest series of attacks on maritime traffic in the Gulf, a second round of US-Iran talks could take place within the next three days, the New York Post reported, citing Trump and unnamed Pakistani sources.
"It's possible!" Trump reportedly wrote to the Post in a text message when asked about the sources in Pakistan, who had told the newspaper that a second round could happen within two to three days.
Trump also claimed that Iran had halted alleged plans to execute eight women arrested over anti-government protests, after he urged Tehran to release them.
But Iran's judiciary described his remarks as "false news", saying the women had never faced the death penalty.
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