At least two ships have come under attack in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the British military, one cargo ship and one container ship, potentially jeopardizing efforts to resume peace talks between the U.S. and Iran.
The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) reported early Wednesday that the an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)"gun boat" had fired at a container ship15 nautical miles northeast of Oman. There was no radio warning before the boat "fired upon the vessel," according to the British Royal Navy-led UKMTO, causing "heavy damage to the bridge" but with all crew "reported safe."
Three hours later, the UKMTO reported asecond incident, this time 8 nautical miles west of Iran, in which a cargo ship said it had been fired on and was "now stopped in the water." The crew members were "safe and accounted for" and there was no mention of the source of the attack.
Data from the ship-tracking website MarineTraffic showed two container ships stopped off the coast of Iran near the Strait of Hormuz early on Wednesday: the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca and the Greek-operated Epaminondas. Both vessels had previously broadcast their positions in the Persian Gulf.The IRGC confirmed Wednesday that the two ships "were intercepted by the IRGC Navy and escorted to the Iranian coast." The IRGC added that the vessels "entered the area without proper authorization and allegedly tampered with their navigation systems.""Disrupting the order and safety of the Strait of Hormuz is our red line," the statement said.
The companies that own the ships did not reply to a CBS News request for comment on the status of the respective crews.
CBS News partner network BBC News and the Reuters news agency reported that athird shipwas hit by gunfire in the strait Wednesday, but the UKMTO did not confirm those reports to CBS News.
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The attacks come after PresidentTrump announcedthat the deadline for the fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran would be extended Tuesday, hours before it was due to expire, to allow for further peace talks.
The president said he granted the ceasefire after a request form Pakistan, which hosted the first round of talks, and he blamed Iran's "seriously fractured" government for the delay.Mr. Trump said he was giving Tehran more chance to "come up with a unified proposal."
"I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other," Mr. Trump posted on hisTruth Socialplatform Tuesday afternoon.Iran's semi-official news agency Tasnim reported Tuesday that Iran hadnot requested the extensionof the ceasefire.Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Iran's parliament speaker, posted onXTuesday that the extension "means nothing," adding that the continuation of the "siege" is "no different form bombardment and must be met with a military response."He characterized Mr. Trump's ceasefire extension as "certainly a ploy to buy time for a surprise strike."Wednesday's attacks come after the U.S. fired on and seized an Iranian container ship over the weekend and boarded an oil tanker linked to Iran's oil trade in the Indian Ocean.
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