Iran Attacks Three Ships Hours After Trump Extends Ceasefire

Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, hours after President Trump extended the ceasefire indefinitely, the Associated Press and NPR reported. The attacks complicated efforts to restart talks between Washington and Tehran.

Iranian media said the Revolutionary Guard carried out the attacks and seized two of the ships, which it was taking to Iran, the AP reported; that account is not independently confirmed. The British military’s maritime trade monitor said a container ship was fired on in the morning and a second was attacked soon after. Iranian news agencies reported the Guard also hit a third vessel that it said had become “stranded” on Iran’s coast. The AP counted more than 30 attacks on ships in the region since the war began Feb. 28.

The AP described the attacks as an escalation by Iranian leaders who appear ready to drive a harder bargain. Trump had said the U.S. would continue its blockade of Iranian ports even as the truce continues. Iran says the ceasefire is meaningless unless the blockade ends, which it regards as an act of war, NPR reported. Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose to nearly $100 a barrel, the AP and CBS News reported. The Guard vowed to “deliver crushing blows beyond the enemy’s imagination to its remaining assets in the region.”

It was unclear when talks would resume. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, acknowledged the extension but did not say Tehran is ready to attend another round, the AP reported. Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, who heads Iran’s mission in Egypt, told the AP that no delegation would go to Pakistan until the U.S. lifts its blockade. Two Pakistani officials said Islamabad is still waiting to hear when Iran will send a delegation.

U.S. Central Command said Wednesday night that American forces have directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to port under the blockade, up from 29 earlier in the day, CBS News reported. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr. Trump has not set a “firm deadline” for Iran to submit a proposal, according to CBS News.

Other developments in Washington the same day, per CBS News: the Senate voted 46 to 51 against a Democratic effort to force the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran, the fifth such attempt since the war began, with Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voting with Republicans and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voting with Democrats. The Pentagon also announced that Navy Secretary John Phelan is leaving his post immediately, with Undersecretary Hung Cao to serve as acting secretary.