TEHRAN: Iran has seized two cargo ships and damaged a third one trying to pass through Strait of Hormuz (marine passage for 20% of the world’s oil) on Wed (22nd April, 2026), hours after the US President announced an indefinite extension to the ceasefire.
Tehran, accusing them of sailing sans permits, seized Panama-flagged Francesca (operated by the world’s biggest container shipping group MSC), and Greek-operated Epaminondas.
Both the ships have been taken to Bandar Abbas. Exact number of the Francesca crew is not known. But a vessel of this size requires some twenty people to operate. A third vessel, the Liberia-flagged container ship Euphoria, was fired upon.
Epaminondas happens to harbour twenty-one mariners on board belonging to Ukraine and Philippine. Its management company informed: “Technomar remains in close communication with the relevant authorities in the ​region, Our priority remains the safety and well-being of our crew as we work with all relevant stakeholders to ensure their continued safety and urgently resolve the matter.”
Speaker of the Irani Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, took to the X to state: “A complete ceasefire only makes sense if it is not violated by the maritime blockade and the hostage-taking of the world’s economy, and if the Zionist warmongering across all fronts is halted; reopening the Strait of Hormuz is impossible with such a flagrant breach of the ceasefire. They did not achieve their goals through military aggression, nor will they through bullying. The only way forward is to recognize the rights of the Iranian nation.”
It is pertinent to mention here that US, despite proclamation of an indefinite ceasefire, is maintaining the blockade of Iranian ports. American security forces have turned 29 vessels around. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump has not set a firm deadline to receive an Iranian proposal to end the war (that commenced 54 days ago on 28th of February, 2026). Many believe that USA is buying time for escalation.
One may recall that Amir Saeid Iravani, Ambassador of Iran to UN, in a letter dated 13 April, 2026, addressed to Secretary-General AntĂłnio Guterres and Security Council President Jamal Fares Alrowaiei, has demanded that five countries of the region must pay US$ 270 billion as compensation for the destruction caused by strikes that were launched on Irani infrastructure, from the US bases in their territories.
It is pertinent to mention here that during the 54 days of War 3,300 people lost their lives in Iran.
Newspakistan.tv
