Watch moment Iranian forces seize container ships in Strait of Hormuz
Oil prices gained on Thursday after reports of vessels being attacked in the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces.
Video aired on Iranian state TV in the early hours of Thursday appears to show armed soldiers seizing two container ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
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Iran has accused the ships of operating without permits and tampering with navigation systems.
The container ships have been identified as MSC Francesca and Epaminondas by their shapes, colours, and vessel types, which match the file imagery of the vessels. Ship-tracking data confirmed the positions of the container ships.
Iran's tightening of its hold on the strategic Strait of Hormuz by seizing two ships comes as the White House insists Donald Trump is holding all the cards.
While the US president extended the fragile truce to enable Tehran to come up with a “unified” proposal, he has maintained the naval blockade of the country’s ports.
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This has led Iran to accuse the White House of a “flagrant breach of the ceasefire”.
The stand-off means the strait – a maritime pinchpoint – is still effectively closed meaning ongoing pain to the global economy.
Oil prices gained on Thursday after reports of three vessels being attacked in the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces.
Brent, the global benchmark for crude, is hovering around $103 (£76.35) a barrel, while US-traded oil climbed above $94.
The conflict, triggered by joint US-Israeli strikes at the end of February, had already sent energy prices soaring and hiked the cost of other goods.
The impasse has cast further doubt on the prospect of talks aimed at securing a lasting end to hostilities.
Meanwhile, military planners from a coalition of countries were due to continue meeting in London on Thursday as part of plans for a UK and France-led defensive mission to keep the critical waterway open once the Iran war is over.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has said Britain wanted to see a “comprehensive settlement” and a “full reopening” of the key shipping route without restrictions or tolls.