Arabic version: زورق إيراني يهاجم سفينة حاويات قرب سواحل عمان

An Iranian gunboat has fired on a container vessel near the coast of Oman, according to a British maritime monitoring agency, in an incident that occurred hours after United States President Donald Trump said he would extend a ceasefire with Iran.

According to Al Jazeera, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre said that the ship’s captain reported that the vessel had been approached by a vessel of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) before shots were fired. The agency added that it “has caused heavy damage to the bridge. No fires or environmental impact reported.” No casualties were reported, and all crew members were said to be safe.

The container ship was sailing under a Liberian flag and had been informed it had permission to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important waterways. However, Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that the vessel had ignored warnings issued by Iran’s armed forces.

This incident followed a warning from the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters after what it described as the U.S. seizure of an Iranian commercial ship in the Sea of Oman. The IRGC accused Washington of violating the ceasefire and carrying out “armed piracy” after allegedly firing on the Iranian vessel and disabling its navigation systems.

President Trump earlier announced he would delay a planned military attack on Iran after requests from Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He added, however, that the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would remain in place and said the military had been ordered to stay “ready and able.” The announcement marked a shift from comments made a day earlier, when Trump said it was “highly unlikely” he would extend the truce beyond Tuesday.