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Tit-For-Tat Assaults On Shipping Widen: US Intercepts 3 More 'Illicit' Tankers In Asian Waters, Iran Seizes Additional 2 In Hormuz

Tyler Durden's Photo
by Tyler Durden
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Summary

  • At least two fully laden Iranian tankers slip past US naval blockade, amid reports of more going dark, BBG reports, but Pentagon denies.

  • Reports of three more Iranian tankers being seized by US in Asian waters. Iran in turn seizes 2 more ships in Hormuz, citing "dangerous navigation".

  • Trump extends ceasefire by 3-5 days, per White House statement to Fox. Third US carrier precisely 3-5 day away from Mideast waters: Fox

  • IRGC seized the MSC Francesca and a Greek-owned ship named Euphoria, which had been attempting to transit the Hormuz chokepoint earlier today. Within hours, a third ship comes under fire by the IRGC.

  • Senior Iranian adviser says the US naval blockade is "no different than bombing" and must be met "with a military response".

  • Competing narratives emerge over what Iran calls "fake news" as Trump hails "release" of 8 Iranian women said to be facing death penalty.

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Iran Seizes Two More Ships in Hormuz, In Developing Rapid Tanker Assault Tit-for-Tat

Latest from Newsquawk (nighttime Iran local): Iran seizes two ships in the Strait of Hormuz citing violations and dangerous navigation, according to SNN (state "Student News Network).

Three Iranian Tankers Intercepted by US in Asian Waters

The US appears to be serious about its counter-Iran interdictions going global, as the US military has newly intercepted at least three Iranian oil tankers in Asian waters, per Newsquawk.

The tankers are now being redirected and escorted, according to shipping and security sources, presumably in what will end up being another seizure of Iranian oil on the high seas.

Plot Thickens, Gets More Bizarre: Iran Denies 8 Women Set to Be Executed

There's been a lot of fresh back and forth over Trump's initial Truth Social Post earlier this week: first he demanded that eight young women he said were on death row in Iran for protesting must be released. Then on Thursday Trump proclaimed that Iran complied.

But Iran is rejecting the whole narrative as fake news from the start. "Trump was misled once again by fake news," the judiciary's official Mizan Online website said. "The women who were claimed to be on the verge of execution, some of them have been released, while others face charges that, if convictions are upheld, would at most result in imprisonment." The Times (UK) picked up on the story, but underscored:

The image Trump recirculated was originally created by the Lawfare Project, a pro-Israel organisation based in the US.

The human rights organisation Hiwa identified the women in the post. They included Panah Movahedi Salamat and Ensieh Nejati.

While Iran has certainly carried out horrendous executions in the recent past, this particular case has incubator babies hoax written all over it.

Third Carrier 3-5 Days Away

We've been tracking the progress of the USS George HW Bush aircraft carrier as it makes its way to the US Central Command/Mideast area. Interestingly its arrival could correspond with the end of Trump's extended ceasefire by this weekend. Fox News is freshly reporting that the vessel, which will be the third carrier in waters near Iran, is expected to arrive in three to five days. "The USS Bush Aircraft Carrier is expected to arrive in the Middle East within five days," a Fox News reporter has said on X.

It took the 'long way' around Africa in order to avoid the Red Sea, and thus the potential for coming under attack by the Houthis or Iranians.

The aircraft carrier strike group is currently located somewhere off the coast of Tanzania or Kenya and will arrive in the region in 3-5 days, becoming the third aircraft carrier in the war against Iran.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says in a post on X: "Breach of commitments, blockade and threats are main obstacles to genuine negotiations."

Carrier-related air traffic has been observed in this area over about the last day (FlightRadar):

Serious Slippage in US Naval Blockade as Iranian Vessels Go Dark

Confirmation from Bloomberg after some initial unverified claims circulated yesterday: Iran Tankers Go Dark to Sail Past US Blockade Laden With Oil. Additional reports suggest that the total number of Iran-linked tankers slipping through is actually much larger, suggesting the potential unravelling of the US naval blockade of ships visiting Iran's ports:

Donald Trump's naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is unraveling after dozens of Iranian vessels secretly slipped past US surveillance, even as the regime tightened its grip on the critical oil passageway by attacking three tankers.

Approximately 34 Iranian oil tankers have slipped through the blockade, with 19 vessels exiting the Persian Gulf past Trump's navy and another 15 ships entering from the Arabian Sea toward Iran, according to the Financial Times. Six of those tankers were smuggling Iranian crude oil totaling 10.7 million barrels, estimated to be worth approximately $910 million in revenue for the regime.

Of course, the Pentagon's own figures stand in direct contradiction, but the fact that major Western MSM outlets like FT and Bloomberg are picking up on significant numbers getting through doesn't bode well for the Trump blockade.

Meanwhile, the locations of the earlier seizures by Iran's IRGC. Two are being escorted to Iran's coast:

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:

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."

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.

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