The U.S. military on Thursday (April 23, 2026) seized another tanker associated with the smuggling of Iranian oil, ratcheting up a standoff with Iran a day after its paramilitary Revolutionary Guards took control of two vessels in the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

The Defence Department released video footage of U.S. forces on the deck of the oil tanker Majestic X, which was seized in the Indian Ocean.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard opened fire Wednesday (April 22, 2026) on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, damaging the ship and further raising the stakes as planned ceasefire talks in Pakistan failed to materialise.

The morning attack by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard came after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. would indefinitely extend the ceasefire with Iran, which had been due to expire on Wednesday (April 22, 2026), to give Tehran time to come up with a “unified proposal” ahead of possible negotiations. Iran has offered no formal acknowledgement of Mr. Trump’s ceasefire extension.