US army prepares to move in on Strait of Hormuz as Iran war ceasefire hangs on knife-edge

US army prepares to move in on Strait of Hormuz as Iran war ceasefire hangs on knife-edgeForeign Secretary Yvette Cooper has said: 'We are at a critical diplomatic moment with a ceasefire now in place... but we don't yet have normal passage through the strait"CommentsNewsPatrick Hill Senior News Reporter and Mikey Smith Deputy Political Editor18:43, 18 Apr 2026View 7 ImagesUS Sailors, Marines, and Airmen remain positioned and ready to act against any vessels seeking to violate the blockade(Image: US Central Command)Iranian gun boats today targeted commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz after the country's regime reclosed it, stating it was in response to a US blockade they claimed amounted to "maritime robbery".‌A container ship was hit by an "unknown projectile" at around 12.25pm UK time, about two hours after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reportedly fired on a tanker. And shortly after 1pm UK-time, the master of a cruise ship reported "sighting a splash in close proximity of the vessel" three nautical miles east of Oman.‌The UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre reported all three incidents, describing the cruise ship incident as "suspicious activity". It came amid reports US soldiers are preparing to board oil tankers and seize commercial ships linked to Iran in international waters in the coming days following a new war of words between Iranian leaders and US President Donald Trump, who today warned them they "can't blackmail us".‌View 7 ImagesUS President Donald Trump spoke at a press conference in the White House on Saturday(Image: Getty Images)READ MORE: Five unanswered questions after wedding chaos as bride doused in black paint by sister-in-lawREAD MORE: Nando's and Pizza Express among family favourite restaurants hiking pricesSpeaking while launching more research into the use of psychedelic drugs to treat mental health conditions, he added: "They got a litt...