The United States attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship it said had tried to evade its naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday (April 19, 2026), and Iran’s joint military command vowed to respond, throwing a fragile ceasefire into question days before it expires.

It was the first interception since the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports began last week. Iran’s joint military command called the armed boarding an act of piracy and a ceasefire violation, the state broadcaster said.

Iran’s “valiant navy” is “ready to inflict new bitter defeats on its enemies,” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said.

Mr. Khamenei sent the defiant message on Saturday (April 18, 2026) as Iran swiftly reimposed restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz.

The leaders of ​the G7 group of nations — ‌the United States, Canada, ​Japan, Italy, ⁠Britain, Germany and France — agreed to examine the option ‌of providing escort for ships so ‌they can navigate ‌freely ⁠in the ⁠Gulf, said a statement from the G7 Presidency on ​Wednesday (March 11, 2026).

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The statement ‌was issued after French President Emmanuel Macron had convened a call ‌with G7 leaders ​to discuss the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran ⁠and its impact on rising energy prices.

“In ‌this regard, a working group has been set up to explore the possibility of escorting ‌ships when the right ​security conditions are in place, and this ⁠will also come along ⁠with approaches made to shipping companies, transport ‌companies and insurers,” said the statement

U.S. President Donald Trump says his administration will tap the United States’ Strategic Petroleum Reserve to try and reduce gasoline prices that have risen due to the Iran war.

During an interview on Wednesday (March 11, 2026) with WKRC Local 12 in Cincinnati, Mr. Trump was asked about tapping the reserve and said, “Well, we’ll do that and then we’ll fill it up.”

He added, “Right now we’ll reduce it a little bit, and that brings the prices down.”

He didn’t specify how many barrels of oil the U.S. would release.

Explained | What is Strategic Petroleum Reserve?

Mr. Trump frequently criticised the administration of Joe Biden for tapping the reserve to try and bring down gas prices.

Iran on Saturday (November 15, 2025) confirmed the seizure of a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker as it travelled through the narrow Strait of Hormuz over violations, including carrying an illegal consignment, state media reported.

A report by the official Irna news agency carried a statement by the Revolutionary Guard that said the tanker was taken to Iranian waters. It did not elaborate on the “illegal consignment,” the crew or say where the ship was now heading.

It said the seizure came following a court order, and the operation was aimed at “protecting Iran’s national interests and resources.” It identified the oil tanker as the Talara and said it was carrying 30,000 tons of petrochemical products.

The seizure happened on Friday (November 14, 2025). Tehran has been increasingly warning it could strike back after a 12-day war with Israel in June that saw the U.S. strike Iranian nuclear sites.

It said the ship had been en route to Singapore when Iranian forces intercepted it. A private security firm, Ambrey, described the assault as involving three small boats.

A U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton drone had been circling above the area where the Talara was for hours on Friday (November 14, 2025) observing the seizure, flight-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed.

The British Military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center separately acknowledged the incident, saying a possible “state activity” forced the Talara to turn into Iranian territorial waters.

Cyprus-based Columbia Shipmanagement later said in a statement that it had “lost contact” with the tanker, which was carrying high sulphur gasoil. It did not immediately provide any update on Saturday (November 15, 2025).

Iran has been blamed for a series of limpet mine attacks on vessels that damaged tankers in 2019, as well as for a drone attack on an Israeli-linked oil tanker that killed two European crew members in 2021. Those attacks began after U.S. President Donald Trump, in his first term in office, unilaterally withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

In 2022, Iran took two Greek tankers and held them until November of that year. Iran seized the Portuguese-flagged cargo ship MSC Aries in April 2024.

Years of tensions between Iran and the West, coupled with the situation in the Gaza Strip, exploded into a full-scale 12-day war in June.

Tehran has long threatened to close off the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all traded oil passes. The U.S. Navy has long patrolled the Mideast through its Bahrain-based 5th Fleet to keep the waterways open.