USS Abraham Lincoln conducts U.S. blockade operations associated to the Strait of Hormuz on April 16, 2026.
Handout | Getty Pictures Information | Getty Pictures
Two cargo ships had been attacked within the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, authorities stated Wednesday, after the U.S. prolonged the ceasefire and as diplomats search to carry the U.S. and Iran collectively for peace talks.
A vessel reported being fired upon about eight nautical miles off the coast of Iran, the UK Maritime Commerce Operations, or UKMTO, middle stated at 8:38 London time (3:38 a.m. ET), which additionally warned of “excessive ranges of exercise” within the Strait of Hormuz space.
The crew had been reported to be secure and accounted for, the UKMTO stated, and the vessel didn’t maintain any injury. It was not instantly clear who shot on the ship.
The incident adopted an earlier report of an assault that happened roughly 15 miles northeast of Oman at 5:47 a.m. London time.
The UKMTO stated a container ship was approached by an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) gunboat. The IRGC ship was stated to have fired upon the ship, inflicting “heavy injury” to the bridge. All crew had been reported secure.
The assaults come shortly after President Donald Trump stated the U.S. would prolong the ceasefire with Iran to permit for Iran’s leaders to submit a “unified proposal” to finish the struggle.
This got here after reviews that Vice President JD Vance’s journey to Pakistan for a second spherical of peace talks with Iranian officers had been placed on maintain, and after the Iranian state information outlet Tasnim reported that negotiators from Tehran wouldn’t attend additional talks.
The Strait of Hormuz is a key maritime hall that connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Roughly 20% of worldwide oil and fuel sometimes passes by way of it.
Assaults on industrial ships within the Gulf in latest weeks have ratcheted up fears of a chronic financial shock.
— CNBC’s Dan Mangan and Kevin Breuninger each contributed to this report.
