The attacks, which Iranian media said were carried out by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, came after President Donald Trump said the US would indefinitely extend the ceasefire with Iran
Iran launched attacks on three vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, highlighting the continuing danger to global energy supplies. It also hampered attempts to bring the US and Iran to the negotiating table to conclude the conflict.
The assaults, which Iranian media reported were executed by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, occurred after President Donald Trump announced the US would indefinitely prolong the ceasefire with Iran, scheduled to lapse on Wednesday.
However, Mr Trump stated the US would maintain its blockade of Iranian ports, and the strikes emphasised the perils to shipping in the strait, through which 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas pass during peacetime.
This means that even if the ceasefire largely endures – and Iran and the US do not restart major offensives – the conflict will continue to burden the global economy heavily.
The war has already caused petrol prices to rocket far beyond the region and increased the cost of food and a vast range of other goods.
The longer the strait stays shut, the more serious and far-reaching the consequences will be – and the longer it will take the economy to recover.
Iran has provided no official recognition of Mr Trump’s extension, but an Iranian diplomat stated negotiations would not restart until the blockade is removed.
Iran opened fire on a container vessel in the strait on Wednesday morning, and a second was targeted shortly afterwards, according to the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre. Iranian state television later reported that the ships were in the Revolutionary Guard’s custody and being transported to Iran.
The vessels were identified as the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas. Attempts to reach the ship’s owners for comment were unsuccessful.
These seizures mark an escalation by Iran’s leaders, who seem ready to negotiate more aggressively with American diplomats following two previous rounds of discussions with the Trump administration that resulted in open conflict.
The semi-official Nour News, Fars and Mehr news agencies subsequently reported that the Guard attacked a third vessel named the Euphoria.
They stated that the vessel had become “stranded” on the Iranian coast, without providing further details.
The UKMTO reported that the first ship was assaulted by a Revolutionary Guard gunboat that did not signal the ship before opening fire.
It added that no one was injured in the attack.
However, Iran’s Nour News reported that the Guard only fired upon the ship after it had “ignored the warnings of the Iranian armed forces”.
Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency characterised the attack as Iran “lawfully enforcing” its control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Since the war began on February 28 with US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, there have been over 30 attacks on ships in the Middle East.
Iran’s ability to limit traffic through the strait – which connects the Persian Gulf to the open sea – has proven to be a significant strategic advantage.
While the ceasefire means that American and Israeli air strikes have ceased in Iran – and Tehran’s missiles no longer target Israel and the broader Middle East – the assaults in the strait and previous American interceptions of Iranian vessels demonstrate the maritime threat persists.
Without any diplomatic accord, those attacks may persist, likely discouraging more ships from even attempting to navigate through the strait, and further constrict global energy supplies.
On Wednesday, Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, was trading above 98 dollars (£72) a barrel, up 35% since the war began.
Iran seemed to entrench itself on Wednesday, with its Revolutionary Guard pledging to “deliver crushing blows beyond the enemy’s imagination to its remaining assets in the region”.
The evening prior, hardline supporters of Iran’s theocracy staged rallies during which the Guard displayed missiles and launchers – a gesture of defiance towards Israel and the US, which dedicated much of their air strike campaign to destroying the nation’s ballistic missile stockpile.
It remains unclear when discussions might resume.
Two Pakistani officials told The Associated Press that Islamabad is still awaiting word from Tehran on when it will dispatch a delegation for another round.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media.
Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, the head of the Iranian mission in Egypt, told The Associated Press that no delegation would travel to Pakistan until the US lifts its blockade. In Lebanon, where conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah erupted following the initial strikes by the US and Israel, the state-run National News Agency reported a morning Israeli drone strike on the village of Jabbour resulted in one death and two injuries.
Israel’s military refuted claims that it had targeted the area.
A 10-day ceasefire came into effect in Lebanon on Friday, but there have been multiple Israeli strikes and Hezbollah announced its first attack on Tuesday.
Since the onset of the war, authorities report that at least 3,375 individuals have lost their lives in Iran.
Over 2,290 fatalities have occurred in Lebanon, 23 people have perished in Israel and more than a dozen have died in Gulf Arab states.
Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 US service members across the region have been killed.