Ships seized in Hormuz
- Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard fired on three vessels and seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday. (pbs.org) - The incidents followed stalled U.S.-Iran talks and came as Washington extended a ceasefire, Reuters and NPR report. ( ) - Iran said it was bringing the captured vessels to its ports, a move that complicates ceasefire diplomacy and raised market jitters. ( )
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards fired on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on April 22 and seized two of them, widening a shipping crisis in the world’s main oil chokepoint. (pbs.org) The Associated Press, cited by PBS, reported that the vessels included the container ship *Maersk Kensington*, which was hit by gunfire, and the cargo ship *Baghdad*, which Iranian forces boarded and diverted. Iran later said the captured ships were being taken to its ports. (pbs.org) Reuters and NPR reported the attacks came one day after President Donald Trump said the United States would indefinitely extend a ceasefire and hold off renewed attacks, even though a new round of talks in Pakistan did not happen. NPR said the U.S. blockade remained in place as the vessels came under fire. (reuters.com (npr.org) The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow sea passage between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and it handles about 20 million barrels a day of oil and petroleum products. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said that was about one-fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption in 2024. (eia.gov) Britannica says the strait is the only sea outlet for the Persian Gulf and that more than 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas exports pass through it. That is why even a short disruption there can move energy markets far beyond the Gulf. (britannica.com) The New York Times reported oil was hovering above $100 a barrel on April 23 as traders watched for more attacks and for any sign that diplomacy might restart. The White House said Trump did not view the reported ship seizures as a ceasefire violation. (nytimes.com) Iran has framed its moves in the strait as leverage during a wider confrontation over sanctions, military pressure and shipping access, while Washington has tried to keep the ceasefire alive without lifting its blockade. Reuters reported there was still no public sign on April 22 that peace talks would resume. (reuters.com) For shipowners and oil buyers, the immediate question is whether April 22 was a one-day seizure operation or the start of a longer campaign to control traffic through Hormuz. For diplomats, the same incident turned a stalled negotiation into a test of whether any ceasefire still exists in practice. (pbs.org) (reuters.com)
