Two Ships Attacked In Strait Of Hormuz After Trump Extends Iran Ceasefire

Topline

Two ships came under attack in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, including a container vessel that was targeted by an Iranian gunboat, amid rising tension along the critical shipping route as Tehran argued that the ongoing U.S. blockade of its ports amounted to a violation of the ceasefire, which President Donald Trump extended indefinitely on Tuesday.

Ship movement through the Strait of Hormuz has remained as a standstill as tensions have ratcheted up.

Key Facts

According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Center, a gunboat operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired at a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz early on Wednesday.

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, the British naval agency said.

The attack caused significant damage to the vessel’s bridge, but all crew members are reported safe.

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.

The ship has now stopped in the water after being attacked.

Have Iranian Authorities Commented On The Attacks?

Citing Iranian state aligned media outlet Nour News, the Associated Press reported that the IRGC took responsibility for the first attack and said the ship was fired upon after it “ignored the warnings of the Iranian armed forces.” The state news outlet also claimed the ship sustained “extensive damage.” It is unclear if any efforts were made to board or divert the ship.

Key Background

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.

Tangent

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.