Iran has tightened its control over the Strait of Hormuz by seizing two commercial vessels, just as the United States pauses new strikes but keeps a naval blockade in place and peace talks remain in limbo.
The move came after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was indefinitely suspending renewed military attacks on Iran and extending a shaky ceasefire so Washington could study an Iranian proposal to end the two month old conflict. However, Tehran has not confirmed any formal extension of the truce and has denounced the ongoing blockade of its maritime trade as an act of war.
Iran’s chief negotiator and parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said a full ceasefire would only be possible if the U.S. lifted its naval blockade and allowed normal traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route that previously carried around one fifth of global oil supplies. He wrote that it was “unthinkable” to reopen the waterway under what he called a blatant violation of the ceasefire, insisting that only recognition of Iran’s rights would end the standoff.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had taken control of two ships, the Liberia flagged Epaminondas and the Panama flagged MSC Francesca, accusing them of sailing without proper authorisation and tampering with their navigation systems. A third vessel nearby was reportedly fired upon but escaped and continued its journey.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News the seizures did not technically breach the ceasefire because the ships were neither U.S. nor Israeli owned, but she still branded Iran’s move an act of “piracy.”
The U.S. military said it has ordered more than 30 ships to change course or return to port as part of its effort to enforce the blockade, including vessels redirected near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. Brent crude stayed above 100 dollars a barrel in Asian trading on Thursday, having breached that level for the first time in two weeks amid fears of prolonged disruption in the Gulf.
The conflict was triggered on 28 February by coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and has already claimed thousands of lives across the Middle East, particularly in Iran and Lebanon, where Iran aligned Hezbollah is fighting Israel. Trump has repeatedly threatened to hit Iranian power infrastructure and other civilian targets, attacks the United Nations has warned would violate international humanitarian law, but in recent days has stepped back from those threats.
On the diplomatic front, Pakistan is trying to mediate between the two sides after both failed to attend planned talks in Islamabad on Tuesday, the day the original two week ceasefire was due to expire. Trump says the U.S. agreed to halt attacks at Pakistan’s request until Iranian leaders present a unified proposal, but no new deadline has been set.
An initial round of talks in Islamabad 11 days ago ended without a deal. Washington is demanding that Iran abandon highly enriched uranium and stop further enrichment to block any path to a nuclear weapon, while Iran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful and wants sanctions lifted, war damage compensated and its authority over the strait recognised.
Tehran has also made a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah a condition for any comprehensive truce. On Wednesday, Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon killed at least five people, including journalist Amal Khalil, marking the deadliest day since a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was announced on 16 April.
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