Iran has seized two foreign ships in the Strait of Hormuz, hours after US President Donald Trump halted a planned attack on the country.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the vessels were stopped for violating maritime rules in the strategic waterway.
“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval force this morning identified and stopped in the Strait of Hormuz two violating ships,” the Guards said. “The two offending ships… were seized by the IRGC’s naval forces and directed to the Iranian coast.”
The ships, MSC Francesca and Epaminodas, were later tracked near Iran’s coast, northeast of Oman.
The move followed earlier incidents in the area. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a commercial ship was fired upon by an Iranian patrol boat near Oman.
“[It] has caused heavy damage to the bridge. No fires or environmental impact reported,” UKMTO said. No casualties were recorded.
Another vessel was also shot at and forced to stop closer to Iran’s coast.
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The Strait of Hormuz is a key global shipping route, handling a large share of the world’s oil supply.
The escalation came after Trump said he would delay a military strike to give room for talks with Tehran.
“We have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal,” he wrote.
Despite the pause, the US blockade on Iranian-linked shipping remains in place.
Iran has not officially responded to the ceasefire extension but maintains that ships must coordinate with its forces before passing through the strait.