Pirates of the Strait: US fury over Iranian seizure of cargo ships in Hormuz after Trump extended ceasefire

By GEORGE ODLING, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Published: 23:50, 22 April 2026 | Updated: 23:51, 22 April 2026 The White House accused Iran on Wednesday night of acting 'like pirates' after it seized two cargo ships and fired on a third vessel. Donald Trump had remained quiet over the incidents following his extension of the ceasefire late on Tuesday to allow Tehran more time to submit a unified peace proposal. However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that the Iranians were 'acting like a bunch of pirates' in taking action against the US blockade of Iran's ports. Asked whether the US would consider striking the boats, Leavitt says the US 'could' and that the president has 'many options' on the table. But she added that the seizures were carried out by only two small boats, and Iran's navy is otherwise 'obliterated'. Iran claimed Wednesday it had seized two cargo ships and fired on a third in the Strait of Hormuz as abandoned peace talks showed no sign of resuming. Tehran said the MSC Francesca and Epaminondas were 'escorted to the Iranian coast' after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) gunboats had opened fire. The third ship, a Liberia-flagged container vessel, was also fired upon but was not damaged and resumed sailing, according to maritime security sources. Donald Trump had remained quiet over the incidents following his extension of the ceasefire late on Tuesday to allow Tehran more time to submit a unified peace proposal Firing line: US Navy image shows the Iranian-flagged cargo ship Touska being intercepted on Monday after it was accused of attempting to violate the US blockade Your browser does not support iframes. The IRGC Navy command insisted the cargo ships had 'endangered maritime security' and added: 'Disruption of order and security in the Strait of Hormuz is our red line.' Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, head of the UN's International Maritime Organisation, called for 'innocent seafarers to be released immediately'. Greece denied that the Epaminondas, which is linked to them, had been seized but confirmed it had been fired upon about 20 nautical miles from Oman. The vessel's bridge had sustained damage after being hit, but no one was injured in the attack, Greek authorities said. The move by Iran follows Monday's action when the Iranian-flagged cargo ship Touska was intercepted after it was accused of attempting to violate the US blockade of Iran's ports. The White House said Wednesday that the President had set no firm deadline for Iran to make a deal. Ms Leavitt claimed 'Operation Economic Fury' was 'completely strangling' Tehran's economy. She said an 'effective and successful' US blockade had been imposed on Iran's ports and Washington 'will dictate the timeline' of the war. She also accused Iran of lying about the status of negotiations, claiming: 'What they say publicly is much different from what they concede to the United States and our negotiating team privately.' Iran has claimed the blockade of its trade by sea is an act of war. Seized: MSC Francesca was allegedly escorted to the Iranian coast Attacked: The Greece-linked ship Epaminondas was fired on Your browser does not support iframes. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's chief negotiator, said it is 'not possible to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, considering all the blatant violations of the ceasefire.  They did not achieve their goals through military aggression, nor will they through bullying.' In a further show of defiance, Iran showcased some of its ballistic weapons in the capital on Tuesday evening in front of a banner depicting a fist choking off the key waterway, through which a fifth of the world's oil passes. The banners read 'Indefinitely under Iran's Control' and 'Trump cannot do a damn thing'. Pakistan's mediators continue to try to bring the sides together for negotiations after both failed to show up for planned talks in Islamabad on Tuesday. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.