Overview
- President Trump extended the truce with Iran on Tuesday at Pakistan’s request, keeping U.S. forces from striking while maintaining a blockade of Iranian ports.
- Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Wednesday it seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz, following a separate report that a container ship off Oman took fire and was damaged with no injuries.
- U.S. Central Command disclosed late Wednesday into Thursday that it ordered 31 ships, most of them tankers, to turn back under the blockade, and said most complied.
- Tehran says it will not rejoin talks while the blockade stays in place, as the White House said the ship seizures did not breach the truce because they were not U.S. or Israeli vessels.
- Trump ordered the U.S. Navy on Thursday to destroy boats that lay mines in the strait, a move that highlights the risk to commercial crews and helps push oil prices higher.