Ships Seized and Fired Upon in Strait of Hormuz

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized two container ships and fired on a third vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. The seized ships, identified as the Epaminondas and the MSC Francesca, were taken closer to Bandar Abbas, Iran, according to ship tracking data. The third ship, the Euphoria, came under fire.

The attacks followed an announcement on Tuesday of an indefinite extension to the ceasefire with Iran until Tehran agrees to negotiate a new deal. Iranian state media reported that the military was taking the seized ships back to Iran. Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low on Wednesday, far below pre-war levels of more than 100 vessels daily.

Ships linked to Iran have continued to pass through, based on ship tracking data. U.S. military has struck some 13,000 targets in Iran and maintains a naval blockade.

Officials stated that the detained ships are not American. Iran has also rejected claims of halting women executions.

After leading a delegation to Islamabad on April 11 for negotiations that failed to yield a deal. Iran ramped up attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz after the ceasefire extension, with the country refusing to commit to peace talks.

Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial traffic on Friday. Billboards and banners stating 'control of the strait of hormuz will be iran’s forever' appear across Iran.

U.S. imposed the blockade on April 12 after Iran imposed a toll on transiting ships. Hostilities nearly resumed after an April 8 wave of Israeli strikes targeted Hezbollah in Lebanon. Officials announced that Israel and Lebanon reached a ten-day ceasefire agreement on April 16.

IMO Secretary General condemned threats and attacks on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz in a March 19 address, stating, 'Let it be the responsibility of each and every one of us to demonstrate that inaction is not an option, that words alone are not sufficient.