Iranian news agencies report that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked three ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and that Iran seized two container ships attempting to exit the Persian Gulf, UNN reports, citing AP and Reuters.
Details
According to AP, Iran's paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked a third ship on Wednesday in the Strait of Hormuz, semi-official Iranian news agencies reported.
Nour News, Fars, and Mehr reported on the Guard's attack on a vessel named Euphoria. They stated that the vessel "got stuck" on the Iranian coast, without providing further details.
The Guard seized two other attacked vessels, Iranian state television reported separately.
"Two vessels, attacked earlier on Wednesday by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, are now in custody and being transported to Iran," Iranian state television reported.
Reuters also notes that Iran seized two container ships on Wednesday that were attempting to exit the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, after firing upon them and another vessel, marking the first such seizure since the start of the war with the United States and Israel in February.
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported the seizure and added that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy also warned that any violation of order and security in the strait would be considered a "red line."
According to AP, the vessels were identified as MSC Francesca and Epaminondas.
The seizure of the vessels, the publication notes, is an escalation by Iran after the US previously seized two Iranian vessels ahead of ceasefire talks in Islamabad.
A statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the vessels "allegedly operated without permission, repeatedly violated regulations, manipulated navigation systems, and attempted to secretly exit the Strait of Hormuz, endangering maritime security."
Before the war, the strait was considered an international waterway open to all, despite being in the territorial waters of Iran and Oman.
Oil prices went up
As Reuters indicates, oil prices reversed course and rose after the incidents: Brent crude futures rose 1.0% to $99.46 per barrel, and US West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 0.85% to $90.43 as of 11:43 GMT (14:43 Kyiv time). "The war with Iran and the closure of the strait are unprecedented, and there is no clarity on the final outcome and timing, which creates the potential for further noise and volatility," Jonathan Chappell, senior managing director at investment bank Evercore, wrote in a note.
US operations against Iran expanded beyond the Middle East
This came a day after US naval operations against Iran expanded beyond the Middle East, as US forces seized a tanker suspected of smuggling oil in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday and escorted at least one other vessel off the west coast of India, officials told The Washington Post.
The seizure of the tanker Tifani in open waters between Sri Lanka and Indonesia followed a Trump administration directive to intercept vessels subject to sanctions and believed to be aiding Iran through the purchase of its oil.
US intercepts sanctioned vessel M/T Tifani with no state affiliation at sea21.04.26, 16:38