Iran tightens control of the Strait of Hormuz, as vital waterway for world’s energy remains closed

New attacks in Strait of Hormuz as ceasefire was due to expire

Iranian forces fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, once again threatening global energy flows and complicating efforts to restart U.S.-Iran talks.

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a Revolutionary Guard gunboat opened fire on one vessel “without hailing the ship before firing.” No injuries were reported.

Iranian state television said the vessel had “ignored the warnings of the Iranian armed forces,” framing the operation as part of enforcing control over the waterway.

It later reported that two ships were in the Revolutionary Guard’s custody and being taken to Iran. It identified the vessels as the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas, according to The Associated Press. 

The attacks come as U.S. President Donald Trump moved to extend a ceasefire with Iran — due to expire today — a decision the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said could create “critical space for diplomacy.”

Iran has offered no formal acknowledgment of Trump’s extension.