Summary
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Trump extends ceasefire by 3-5 days, per White House statement to Fox.
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IRGC seized the MSC Francesca and a Greek-owned ship named Euphoria, which had been attempting to transit the Hormuz chokepoint earlier today.
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Within hours, a third ship comes under fire by the IRGC.
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Senior Iranian adviser says the US naval blockade is “no different than bombing” and must be met “with a military response”.
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Trump Extends Ceasefire for 3-5 Days
The White House has told FOX Wednesday morning that President Trump has extended the ceasefire by three to five days. This was also reported earlier by Axios, with the US seeking for the Iranian side to “come to the table with a unified approach.” There’s a growing assumption within the administration that it might be dealing with two competing factions: a civilian government side in Tehran, and the IRGC.
Tasnim meanwhile reports that Iran has made no decision as of yet to negotiate with the US, amid rumblings that talks could resume Friday. WSJ’s latest commentary:
Singh [former senior director for Middle East affairs at the National Security Council who is now at the Washington Institute think tank] warned that the blockade could prove a double-edged sword for Washington, at a time when the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is hurting the world economy and driving up U.S. energy prices ahead of November’s midterm elections.
“The blockade is a bet that Iran will break before the rest of the world will, but it’s a risky bet,” he said. “The Iranian regime is fighting for its survival and has demonstrated an ability to withstand the strangulation of its oil exports.”
The latest as both warring sides impose rival blockades in Hormuz:
FT: At least 34 tankers with links to Iran have bypassed the US blockade since it began, according to the cargo tracking group Vortexa, including several carrying Iranian oil— despite President Trump declaring the barricade a “tremendous success”. https://t.co/G3v3VbHnsA
— Annmarie Hordern (@annmarie) April 22, 2026
Third Ship Attacked by IRGC
The IRGC on Wednesday attacked a third vessel of the day in the Strait of Hormuz, rapidly escalating tensions further in the dangerous standoff. The container ship Francesca, owned by Mediterranean Shipping, was targeted while waiting to enter.
“An Iranian gunboat fired on a containership northeast of Oman, before a second vessel reported being fired at off the coast of Iran,” according to WSJ. “Then the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired on a third ship. The incidents within hours of each other demonstrate that while the aerial war between the U.S. and Iran is on pause, the fight for control of the strait continues.” The same publication offers the following outline summary of where things stand on the diplomatic front:
- A senior Iranian adviser said the U.S. naval blockade is “no different than bombing” and must be met “with a military response.”
- Iran’s ambassador to the U.N. said his country is ready to negotiate with the U.S. once it ends the blockade.
- Britain will host military planners from more than 30 countries for two days of talks aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz starting Wednesday.
Iran Seizes Two Ships In Hormuz
The semi-official news agency Fars reports on X that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized the MSC Francesca and a Greek-owned ship named Euphoria, which had been attempting to transit the Hormuz chokepoint earlier today. In total, three ships were targeted this morning by IRGC naval forces, and two were seized.
“The IRGC Navy seized two violating vessels and transferred them to Iran’s coast. IRGC Navy Command: Disruption of order and safety in the Strait of Hormuz is our red line,” Fars said, adding that both vessels had been “immobilized.”
نیروی دریایی سپاه دو کشتی متخلف را توقیف و به ساحل ایران منتقل کرد
فرماندهی نیروی دریایی سپاه: اخلال در نظم و ایمنی تنگه هرمز خط قرمز ماست pic.twitter.com/LyhPFqGMwV
— خبرگزاری تسنیم (@Tasnimnews_Fa) April 22, 2026
Earlier, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center reported that the two vessels had come under heavy fire in the narrow waterway.
Current snapshot of the waterway via Bloomberg ship-tracking data of tankers:
All three maritime incidents in the Strait come as President Trump has kept the U.S. blockade of Iran in Hormuz in place, and U.S. naval forces seized an Iranian ship over the weekend before boarding another tanker linked to Iran.
Related:
Overnight, Trump extended a ceasefire with Iran so negotiators “can come up with a unified proposal,” but said the naval blockade will continue, while Tehran says it is an “act of war.”
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim cited the country’s envoy to the UN, Amir-Saeid Iravani, as telling reporters: “We have received some sign that they are ready to break it and as soon as they break this blockade, I think that the next round of the negotiations will take place in Islamabad.”
Iravani added, “If they want to sit at the table and discuss and find a political solution, they will find us ready. If they want to go to war, in this case also Iran is ready.” The status of the next round of US-Iran talks remains unclear. Vice President JD Vance has not departed for Pakistan as expected on Tuesday.
More Latest Regional Developments
via Newsquawk…
- No Iranian delegation, primary or secondary, has traveled to Islamabad; reports about their departure and alleged meeting times are inaccurate, IRIB reported.
- Earlier reports by Al Jazeera, citing a Pakistani diplomatic source, claimed that Iranian and US preliminary delegations were present in Islamabad.
- “A Pakistani official source told Al Arabiya: The US and Iranian delegations will arrive in Islamabad today at the same time”; “The second round of negotiations will be held as scheduled”; “We currently have no information about extending the ceasefire between America and Iran”.
- US Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to travel to Pakistan on Tuesday for Iran talks, according to sources cited by Axios.
- US-Iran negotiations may begin Wednesday morning in Islamabad; the US believes there is a split within the Iranian negotiating team, according to Al Arabiya citing CNN sources.
- Pakistani media expect the US and Iran to reach an agreement by Wednesday, according to Al Arabiya.
- An Iranian official told The Washington Post that both sides have largely agreed on the broad outlines of a deal, according to Al Arabiya.
- Pakistan asked the US and Iran to extend the truce for two more weeks; Pakistani media report Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif may announce a ceasefire extension on Tuesday, according to Al Arabiya.
- Journalist Elster wrote: “Pakistani source told Reuters that Trump may attend talks with Iran in person or remotely if an agreement is reached”.
- White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the US has never been closer to a strong deal with Iran and stated that Donald Trump still has options if no deal is reached.
- An Iranian oil tanker entered Iran’s territorial waters despite the US blockade, escorted by the Iranian navy, Al Mayadeen reported.
- Iran’s judiciary chief said it is “very possible” negotiations will fail; in that case, Iran will respond to the US interception of an Iranian ship.
- Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the US seizure of the cargo ship Touska and demanded the “immediate release of the Iranian vessel, its sailors, crew and their families,” according to CNN.
- Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the blockade and ceasefire violations aim to turn negotiations into surrender or justify renewed war and stated Iran rejects talks under threats while preparing new battlefield responses.
- The Israel-Lebanon ceasefire was violated, ISNA reported, citing sources.
- The Israeli army withdrew part of its forces from southern Lebanon following the ceasefire, according to sources cited by Haaretz.
- A UN agency is preparing an evacuation plan for hundreds of ships in the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reported.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 04/22/2026 – 10:00
