Iran seizes vessel in Strait of Hormuz, defying US naval superiority
US President Donald Trump dismissed the threat posed by Iran’s “little ships of smart men” and told reporters he believed Tehran wanted to make a deal but its leadership was in disarray. Trump said he was in no rush for a deal, but if Iran did not want it, “I will end it militarily.”
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Iranian state television broadcast video showing masked troops pulling up next to MSC Francesca in a gray speedboat, climbing a rope ladder to a door in the hull and jumping through, brandishing rifles.
The video, which was presented with action movie-style music and had no commentary, featured footage of another ship, the Epaminondas. Iran said it captured both of them on Wednesday and accused them of trying to cross the strait without permission.
Iran’s seizure of the boat was a reminder that the United States is struggling to maintain control of the Strait of Hormuz despite its stronger military. Although Trump and military officials say Iran’s navy is “at the bottom of the sea,” Tehran has shown that the navy can still cause major problems for oil markets. Before the war, one fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas was transported through the strait.
Major surveys on Thursday showed the global economy faces even more tangible pressures from the energy shock of war, as factories grapple with rising production costs and activity weakens even in service sectors. The war, launched by the USA and Israel on February 28, has been paused since the ceasefire on April 8. The United States and Iran met in Pakistan on April 11 and 12 with the aim of ending hostilities, but the talks ended without an agreement and a second round was held. It hasn’t happened yet.
Tehran said it would not consider opening the strait until the United States lifted the embargo Washington imposed on Iranian ships during the ceasefire, which Tehran described as a violation of the ceasefire. Iran also stated that Israel’s attack on Lebanon, where it is engaged with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, prevented the resumption of peace talks.
Trump announced on social media that Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend the ceasefire for three weeks following a high-level meeting between representatives of both countries in the White House Oval Office on Thursday.
Also read: Trump says Lebanon-Israel ceasefire extended by three weeks after Oval Office meeting
“I look forward to hosting Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the near future. It was a Great Honor to be a participant in this Historic Meeting!” Trump said. However, it was unclear how much influence the Lebanese government could have over Hezbollah.
Before this statement, Israel had warned that it was ready to restart attacks against Iran on Thursday.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israel is waiting for a “green light” from the United States to restart the war, and if so, he said that it would start by targeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and “return Iran to a dark age.”
FIGHT FOR THE BOSPHORUS
Trump this week said he would extend a two-week ceasefire indefinitely to allow for more peace talks with Iran, but on Thursday he said he had ordered the Navy to “shoot and kill” Iranian boats mine-laying in the strait and to step up mine-clearing activities.
In a post on social media, he said Washington was in “total control” of the strait, which he described as “tightly closed” until “Iran makes a DEAL!!!”
Speaking later at the White House, Trump said Iran may have reloaded its weapons “somewhat” during the ceasefire, but that the US military could eliminate it in about a day.
“Don’t rush me,” he said when asked how long he was willing to wait for a long-term peace deal. “I want to make the best deal. I could make a deal right now… but I don’t want to do that. I want this to last forever.”
Using provocative language threatening to destroy Iran and end its civilization, Trump told reporters that nuclear weapons were unnecessary because the United States had “destroyed” Iran with conventional weapons.
Trump said, “No, I will not use it. Nuclear weapons should never be allowed to be used by anyone.”
Iranian officials cited in state media rejected Trump’s claims of divisions in Iran’s leadership, and Khamenei said in a post on X that “hostile” media operations were aimed at undermining unity and national security.
Washington, which has confronted Iranian ships in international waters to enforce its blockade, said it boarded another tanker, the Majestic, in the Indian Ocean on Thursday; this was most recently an apparent reference to a supertanker carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil off the coast of Sri Lanka.
US forces have redirected 33 ships since the blockade began, the US military said on Thursday.
