Three ships fired upon in Strait of Hormuz after Trump extends ceasefire

Three commercial vessels targeted by RPGs and gunfire from Iranian gunboats in the Strait of Hormuz less than a day after President Donald Trump agreed to extend the ceasefire with Iran.

By World Israel News Staff

Three commercial vessels were hit by gunfire in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday morning, in the latest escalation along one of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

All crews were reported safe, according to Reuters, citing maritime security sources and the UK Maritime Trade Operations center.

One Liberia-flagged ship was struck by gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades northeast of Oman, damaging the bridge.

The vessel’s master said an Iranian Revolutionary Guard gunboat approached and opened fire. There were no reported injuries and no environmental damage.

A second Panama-flagged container ship was also fired upon about eight nautical miles west of Iran, while a third Liberia-flagged vessel was targeted in the same area while outbound.

Neither of those ships was reported damaged, and both crews were unharmed.

Iranian state-linked media offered a different account of at least one of the incidents, saying the ship was fired upon after ignoring repeated warnings.

The UKMTO account, however, said the attacked vessel was fired on without prior radio warning.

The attacks came just hours after President Donald Trump extended the ceasefire with Iran without setting a new deadline, even as the United States kept its blockade on Iranian ports in place.

The maritime violence has further complicated already shaky efforts to revive US-Iran talks in Islamabad, Pakistan.

The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical chokepoint for global energy markets. Reuters said the waterway carried about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas before the current war began on February 28.

The renewed attacks in the strait have helped to push oil prices above $98 a barrel.