Iranian forces seized two commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, marking the first such action since hostilities between the United States and Iran began on February 28, as Tehran accused Washington and Tel Aviv of violating a ceasefire through economic coercion and military posturing.
The seizures — of the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca and the Liberia-flagged Epaminondas, the latter Greek-operated — came amid escalating tensions over the vital waterway, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments transit during peacetime. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated the ships were intercepted for attempting to exit the strait covertly, a claim echoed by Tehran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency. Greece’s foreign ministry confirmed an attack on the Epaminondas, while a UK-based maritime monitor reported an Iranian gunboat firing on a vessel, causing significant damage to its bridge.
Speaker of Iran’s parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf declared reopening the strait “impossible” while the U.S. And Israel continued what he termed “flagrant” breaches of the ceasefire, including the American naval blockade, which he described as “hostage-taking of the world’s economy” and “Zionist warmongering.” In a post on X, he added that neither military aggression nor bullying would achieve Washington’s objectives. The White House, meanwhile, maintained that President Trump remained “satisfied” with the blockade, asserting it was inflicting severe economic damage on Iran.
According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the U.S. Is “completely strangling” Iran’s economy, costing Tehran approximately $500 million per day as oil exports stall at Kharg Island, which she said is now at full capacity and unable to load or unload tankers. She dismissed reports of a three-to-five-day deadline for extending the ceasefire as untrue, insisting the duration of hostilities rests solely with the president, who will act when he deems it in the national interest. Leavitt similarly emphasized that Trump believes Iran is in a weakened position due to the sustained pressure.
For more on this story, see US Navy seizes Iranian cargo ship Touska in Gulf of Oman.
The maritime escalation follows a pattern of reciprocal actions: the U.S. Had previously seized an Iranian cargo vessel and boarded an Iranian oil tanker in the Indian Ocean, while Iran had refrained from direct ship seizures until this week. The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed since Tehran’s forced shutdown, triggering a global ripple effect in energy markets and contributing to what Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described as a weakening of European economies due to the regional conflict’s spillover.
In a separate development, the Pentagon announced the immediate departure of Navy Secretary John Phelan, offering no explanation for the sudden exit. His removal comes a day after he addressed sailors and industry leaders at the Navy’s annual conference in Washington, D.C., and follows the earlier dismissal of Army Chief General Randy George and two other senior officers during the ongoing conflict. Undersecretary Hung Cao has been named acting secretary in the interim.
Why did Iran seize the two ships now?
Iran stated the vessels were attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz covertly, framing the action as a response to what it views as ongoing U.S. And Israeli violations of the ceasefire, particularly the naval blockade and economic pressure tactics.
What is the economic impact of the blockade on Iran?
The White House claims the blockade is costing Iran about $500 million per day in lost oil revenue, with Kharg Island’s storage facilities at capacity, preventing further exports and disrupting the government’s ability to pay employees and meet domestic fuel needs.
