Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and seized two of them on Wednesday, intensifying its assault on shipping in the key waterway after Trump said the US would indefinitely extend the ceasefire that had been due to expire, while Washington awaits a new proposal from Tehran.
Iranian media said the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas were being escorted to Iran. The ships’ owners could not be immediately reached for comment. The US had earlier seized two Iranian vessels as the ceasefire talks were due to take place in Pakistan.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked a third ship, identified as the Euphoria, which had become “stranded” on the Iranian coast, Iranian media reported.
The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre also reported the attacks, saying a Revolutionary Guard gunboat opened fire on a container ship and “caused heavy damage to the bridge.”
A second cargo ship came under fire hours later, with no report of damage, though the vessel was then stopped in the water. No injuries to the crew of either vessel were reported.
AP
