The IRGC says the aggression got here in response to what it described because the US seizure of an Iranian industrial vessel.
Published On 22 Apr 2026
An Iranian gunboat has fired on a container vessel close to the coast of Oman, in accordance with a British maritime monitoring company, in an incident that occurred hours after United States President Donald Trump stated he would prolong a ceasefire with Iran.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre stated on Wednesday that the ship’s captain reported that the vessel had been approached by a vessel of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) earlier than pictures had been fired.
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It “has caused heavy damage to the bridge. No fires or environmental impact reported,” the company added. No casualties had been reported, and all crew members had been stated to be secure.
British maritime safety agency Vanguard Tech stated the ship was crusing underneath a Liberian flag and had been knowledgeable it had permission to go by the Strait of Hormuz, one of many world’s most strategically essential waterways.
Iranian information company Tasnim, nonetheless, stated the vessel had ignored warnings issued by Iran’s armed forces.
The incident adopted a warning from the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters after what it described because the US seizure of an Iranian industrial ship within the Sea of Oman, the IRNA information company reported.
It accused Washington of violating the ceasefire and finishing up “armed piracy” after allegedly firing on the Iranian vessel and disabling its navigation techniques.
Trump extends ceasefire
Trump earlier introduced he would delay a deliberate army assault on Iran after requests from Pakistan’s military chief Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump stated the choice was made as a result of Iran’s authorities was “seriously fractured” and wanted time to current a unified place.
“We have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal,” he wrote.
He added, nonetheless, that the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would stay in place and stated the army had been ordered to remain “ready and able”.
The announcement marked a shift from feedback made a day earlier, when Trump stated it was “highly unlikely” he would prolong the truce past Tuesday.
‘Positive and negative signals’ from Tehran
Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi, reporting from Tehran, stated Iranian officers had been sending blended messages over the ceasefire and the prospects for negotiations.
“Tehran is saying they won’t negotiate under imposed terms and conditions … when we compare the initial 10-point and 15-point proposals by the Iranians and Americans, we can understand that the two sides are poles apart,” he stated.
“The atmosphere is also clouded by this mistrust in Tehran towards the United States, as well as the simultaneous military rhetoric related to a potential failed negotiation … It is a warning that another round of confrontation may be ahead.”
He stated Iran nonetheless considered the Strait of Hormuz as a key supply of leverage in any talks.
“It’s trying to exercise authority over the ships and vessels transiting this strategically significant chokepoint,” he stated.
Asadi added that Iranian officers framed their regional place as based mostly on mutual safety. “Iranians are saying that the basis of their foreign policy behaviour, particularly when it comes to Israel, is security for all versus security for none,” he stated.
