Iran fires at 2 ships hours after Trump's ceasefire announcement
What's the story
Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has opened fire on two container ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The attack on the first ship was confirmed by the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center. The attack occurred around 7:55am and targeted an unidentified container vessel. Per AP, the Guard gunboat did not hail the ship before firing. In the second attack, the cargo ship reported being fired upon and stopped in the ocean. No casualties were reported.
Escalating tensions
Incident follows US seizure of Iranian ship
The incident comes on the heels of heightened tensions in the region. Over the weekend, the United States had seized an Iranian container ship after firing upon it. The US also boarded an oil tanker linked to Iran's oil trade in the Indian Ocean. Iran later called on Tehran to release the vessel and its crew, saying the US seizure of the container ship is nothing but an act of maritime piracy.
Trump
Trump extends Iran ceasefire
The seizure took place after the US enforced a blockade on all Iranian ports in the strait of Hormuz after ceasefire talks with Iran in Islamabad ended without an agreement. Another fresh round of talks was expected in Pakistan this week but before that could happen, President Donald Trump announced an extension of the ceasefire with Iran. However, the blockade will remain.