At least two container ships in the Strait of Hormuz were attacked by an Iranian gunboat, the UK maritime agency said, NBC reported on Wednesday. The ship was approached by a boat belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which "fired upon the vessel," causing "heavy damage to the bridge," the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. Earlier it was reported only one ship was targetted by the IRGC but later it was widely reported that that at least two veseels were attacked.

In the second attack, a cargo ship said it had been fired upon and was stopped in the water. It said there was no reported damage to the vessel.

All crew members were safe, and there was no fire or environmental impact reported, it said. Notably, the attack was reported in the international waters which is crucial for the global energy flow. As of now, the narrow passage is blocked from two fronts. However, multiple media reports claims several ships managed to pass the narrow passage despite dual blockade in place.

Iranian attack after Trump's ceasefire extension

The attack came hours after US President Donald Trump offered a combative social media post on Tuesday night after indefinitely extending a ceasefire in the Iran war after talks in Islamabad failed to materialise. He categorically said the US blockade will continue to be placed in the Hormuz region. However, it was not clear whether the fresh firing from Iran was triggered due to continues US blockade and a Iranian ship seizure by the US. 

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Writing on his Truth Social website, Trump contended that "Iran doesn't want the Strait of Hormuz closed, they want it open" so they can sell their crude oil. Trump said if he allowed that to happen, there "can never be a Deal with Iran, unless we blow up the rest of their Country, their leaders included!" It's unclear what the next step forward is to resume talks in Pakistan's capital.

Failed Islamabad Talks

It was anticipated that the second round of "Islamabad Talks 2026" would be held in Pakistan on Tuesday. However, Iran stand firm with their demands and decided to skip the meeting. This resulted in ceasefire extension.

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The first round of US-Iran talks held on April 11 and 12 failed to produce a breakthrough, prompting a flurry of diplomatic efforts by host Pakistan to cool tensions and revive hopes for another round of dialogue. Amid the uncertainty over the talks, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday urged the two sides to extend the two-week ceasefire and give diplomacy a chance. The Iran war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes. 

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