Iran Fires on Ships in Strait of Hormuz, Seizes MSC Francesca and Epaminondas

Iran attacked ships in the Strait of Hormuz as the United States maintained a naval blockade of Iranian ports and extended a ceasefire that had been due to expire, according to multiple live-update reports.

The Associated Press said 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, and it reported that the attacks came a day after President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire while maintaining an American blockade of Iranian ports.

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The BBC reported that Iran announced it had “seized” two ships in the strait, and it quoted Iran’s chief negotiator in talks with the US saying it is “not possible” for the Strait of Hormuz to be opened due to “the blatant violations of the ceasefire” by the US and Israel.

The New York Times reported that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had seized two ships near the Strait of Hormuz after Trump extended the truce on Tuesday hours before it would have expired, and it named the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas as the vessels described in Iranian news media.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that Trump did not view the reported seizures as violating the cease-fire, saying, “These were not U.S. ships,” and “These were not Israeli ships.”

The BBC also described the Euphoria as one of three container ships attacked earlier, and it said MarineTraffic tracking data analysed by BBC Verify showed Euphoria dropped anchor near a port in the United Arab Emirates.

In parallel, the CBS News live update said Iran renewed its attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday while calling the U.S. military’s blockade of Iranian ports a breach of the ongoing ceasefire, and it said rescue and enforcement actions continued even as the ceasefire lasted “about two weeks.”

While Iran’s actions escalated at sea, U.S. officials framed the blockade as continuing and disputed claims that ships were evading it.

CBS News said a temporary ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has been in place for about two weeks, but “the U.S. has continued enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports at President Trump's direction,” and it described the president and other administration officials as having suggested the Navy would target oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz at some point.

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Fox News quoted Karoline Leavitt insisting the U.S. blockade of Iran’s ports has been “massively effective” and “inflicting maximum leverage and economic pressure” on Iran, and it added that when asked whether Trump views Iran seizing two ships as a violation, Leavitt said, “No, because these were not U.S. ships. These were not Israeli ships.”

The Associated Press said the standoff has effectively choked off nearly all exports through the strait, and it reported that the price of Brent crude oil nosed over $100 per barrel and that the European Union energy commissioner Dan Jørgensen warned of lasting impact for consumers and businesses, likening it to other major energy crises over the last half-century.

CENTCOM, as quoted in CBS News and Fox News, said U.S. forces have directed 29 vessels to turn around or return to port as part of the U.S. blockade, and it disputed reporting about ships evading it by citing M/V Hero II, M/V Hedy, and M/V Dorena.

CBS News said CENTCOM in a post on X disputed reporting about ships evading the blockade and wrote, “These reports are inaccurate,” while Fox News repeated CENTCOM’s statement that “Over the past 24 hours, media reports have alleged that several commercial ships evaded the blockade” and that the reports were “inaccurate.”

Fox News also said CENTCOM stated that Hero II and Hedy did not sail past the blockade as part of a flotilla that “ferried” millions of barrels of oil to the market, and it said Dorena had been under escort after attempting to violate the blockade.

Iran’s leadership and negotiators tied any reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to ceasefire compliance and to lifting the U.S. blockade, while also accusing Israel of “warmongering.”

The BBC reported that Iran’s chief negotiator in talks with the US said it is “not possible” for the Strait of Hormuz to be opened due to “the blatant violations of the ceasefire” by the US and Israel, and it said the negotiator’s post on X listed violations including the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, which he said amounted to taking the global economy “hostage.”

The BBC also quoted Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian saying Iran remains open to negotiations but that “breach of commitments, blockade and threats are main obstacles to genuine negotiations,” and it described Pezeshkian’s message that the “World sees your endless hypocritical rhetoric and contradiction between claims and actions.”

CBS News similarly quoted Pezeshkian writing on social media that his country “has welcomed dialogue and agreement and continues to do so,” and it said he added that “Breach of commitments, blockade and threats are main obstacles to genuine negotiations.”

The Guardian described the contest over the strait as “gunboat diplomacy” and said Iran, by firing at and seizing commercial ships trying to navigate the strait, was trying to send a message that it can maintain its chokehold on the world economy.

The Guardian also quoted Gholamhossein Mohseni-Eje’i, the head of the Iranian judiciary, saying, “The enemy is not in a position to set a timeline for us.”

The BBC added that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy said the seized ships were “operating without authorisation” and committed “repeated violations,” accusing them of trying to leave the Strait of Hormuz “in secret” and tampering with navigation systems.

Beyond the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. political and military apparatus around the Iran war continued to shift, with Trump extending the ceasefire while Congress repeatedly voted on war powers.

CBS News said President Trump backed off a threat to resume attacks if the regime didn’t accept his terms for a wider peace deal by today, and it reported that Trump said he was with Iran indefinitely, while the U.S. sent “thousands more forces to the region.”

AP News

CNN reported that Trump said there is “no time frame” for the conflict with Iran and rejected suggestions that political considerations were influencing his approach, and it said his spokesperson said the president doesn’t view Iran’s assertion that it seized two ships as a violation of the ceasefire.

NBC News said Trump extended the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely so its leaders “can come up with a unified proposal,” but that the U.S. naval blockade will continue, and it added that Vice President JD Vance had been expected to lead a delegation to Pakistan but a second round of negotiations is now uncertain.

The Senate’s repeated votes were described in CBS News, NBC News, and CNN, with CBS News saying the Senate rejected Democrats’ fifth attempt to limit Trump’s war powers in Iran on Wednesday in a 46 to 51 vote, and it quoted the resolution’s language directing the president to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran unless explicitly authorized.

In the same period, the U.S. Navy leadership changed, with CBS News reporting that Navy Secretary John Phelan is leaving his role effective immediately and that Undersecretary of the Navy Hung Cao would become acting civilian leader, and it quoted Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.

The New York Times added that Phelan was fired on Wednesday after months of infighting and disagreements over how to revive the Navy’s struggling shipbuilding program, and it said the Pentagon’s chief spokesman Sean Parnell wrote in a terse statement that Phelan was leaving the Pentagon and the Trump administration effective immediately.

The reporting also tied the Strait of Hormuz standoff to economic pressure, oil market moves, and warnings about how long the maritime disruption could last.

The Guardian said the U.S. blockade and sanctions enforcement were intended to make the Iranian economy collapse as Tehran runs out of space to store the oil it is producing and cannot export due to the blockade, and it described the strategy as “a trial of strength” with both sides believing they have time on their side.

BBC

The Guardian quoted U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying that in a matter of days “Kharg Island storage will be full and the fragile Iranian oil wells will be shut in,” and it said constraining Iran’s maritime trade directly targets the regime’s primary revenue lifelines.

The Guardian also cited a Foundation for Defense of Democracies analysis that the strait is not a gamechanging weapon for Iran and that Iran will run out of oil storage by Sunday – 26 April, while it quoted Lance B Gordon warning that forcing Iran to shut in production due to lack of storage would risk long-term reservoir damage and could permanently reduce future output and cashflow.

The Guardian further said forced shutdowns could permanently eliminate 300,000 to 500,000 barrels a day, and it described Mark Dubowitz saying the strategy is now ceasefire on one front and intensifying pressure on the other, including U.S. Central Command increasing the pressure by seizing ships.

In parallel, AP reported that the standoff has effectively choked off nearly all exports through the strait and that the price of Brent crude oil nosed over $100 per barrel, while it said the European Union energy commissioner Dan Jørgensen warned of lasting impact for consumers and businesses and said the disruption is costing Europe around 500 million euros ($600 million) each day.

CNN reported that Pentagon officials briefed lawmakers on an intelligence assessment that it could take up to six months to fully clear the Strait of Hormuz of mines after the war with Iran ends.