Three vessels hit by Iranian fire in Strait of Hormuz hours after Trump extends cease-fire

Three container ships were hit by Iranian gunfire in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, hours after President Trump announced he was indefinitely extending a cease-fire with the Islamic Republic.

Iranian state TV also reported that two of the vessels had been seized by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), while semiofficial news agencies reported the third vessel was “stranded” on the Iranian coast.

The captured ships were identified as the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca and the Epaminodes. The third vessel was identified as the Euphoria.

Confirmation from non-Iranian sources that the ships had been seized was not immediately available.

The IRGC said in a statement the ships “allegedly operated without authorization, repeatedly violated regulations, manipulated navigational aid systems and sought to covertly exit the Strait of Hormuz, endangering maritime security.”