Iran seizes ships in Hormuz as US talks falter after ceasefire extension

By Fox News · Fox News

Iran seized two container ships in the Strait of Hormuz hours after President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire, as confrontations at sea continued under the truce. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said the vessels, identified as the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas, were operating without proper authorization and had tampered with navigation systems, accusations that could not be independently verified. The ships had earlier reported coming under fire near the strait, underscoring the increasingly volatile conditions in one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes. Both ships are managed by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). The Guard attacked a third ship, identified as the Euphoria, which had become "stranded" on the Iranian coast, Iranian media reported. IRAN FIRES LIVE MISSILES INTO STRAIT OF HORMUZ AS TRUMP ENVOYS ARRIVE FOR NUCLEAR TALKS In a turn of events Tuesday, Trump announced he would extend the two-week ceasefire with Iran. For how long is unclear, but a White House official told Fox News it would be several days. Despite heavy U.S. strikes that officials say severely degraded Iran’s conventional navy, Tehran maintains maritime capability through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ fleet of fast-attack boats used for harassment and boarding operations in the narrow strait. "We should think in the thousands," Farzin Nadimi, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told Fox News Digital. "If you include very small boats up to more capable fast-attack craft, the total could reach 3,000 to 4,000 vessels." Those forces have been used to harass commercial ships, force them to stop, and take them into custody. Iranian state media said similar tactics were used when Revolutionary Guard units attacked multiple vessels before escorting at least two into Iranian waters. The continued attacks highlight a gap between battlefield claims and reality. In a Truth Social post April 13, Trump said, "Iran’s Navy is obliterated. It is laying a…