At least three vessels were reportedly fired upon in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, marking a sharp escalation in maritime tensions after Iran warned it could begin targeting US-linked shipping.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps approached one ship and opened fire, causing what it described as “heavy damage”, with no warning issued to the vessel.
The incident took place around 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman, according to maritime reports, and was quickly followed by a second attack on an outbound cargo ship roughly eight nautical miles west of Iran.
Iranian media outlet Nour News claimed the vessel ignored warnings, though the reports could not be independently verified.
The flare-up comes amid heightened regional tensions following warnings from Tehran that it would begin targeting US vessels in response to escalating confrontation in the Gulf.
In Washington, Donald Trump launched a furious response to media criticism, attacking a Wall Street Journal editorial that accused him of being outmanoeuvred by Tehran.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump dismissed the piece in unusually personal terms, branding the author an “IDIOT” and accusing the newspaper of losing its credibility.
The article, titled “The Iranians Take Trump for a Sucker”, argued that Tehran had repeatedly extracted concessions from Washington by cycling between promises to reopen the Strait and renewed pressure tactics.
Trump rejected that characterisation, insisting his administration had taken a far tougher stance than previous US governments and claiming Iran had been significantly weakened militarily and politically.
“Other Presidents did nothing to stop them—a BLIGHT on the Office of the Presidency!” he wrote, adding that the United States had “decimated” Iran’s leadership structure.
He also extended the US ceasefire deadline just hours before it was due to expire, following discussions with Pakistani officials, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, delaying the prospect of renewed military action.
The combination of maritime attacks, political rhetoric, and fragile ceasefire diplomacy has heightened concerns that the confrontation in the Gulf is entering a more volatile phase, with global shipping routes once again at the centre of the crisis.
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