Hope of a near-term breakthrough in the US-Israeli conflict with Iran grew after two Chinese oil tankers made it out of the Strait of Hormuz, according to shipping data, while upbeat remarks from the ⁠US President and the Vice President pointed to possible movement toward a deal. President Donald Trump said yesterday that the war could end "very quickly", and Vice President JD Vance pointed to progress in talks with Tehran on an agreement to halt the fighting. "We're in a pretty good spot here," Mr Vance told a White House…

A fresh maritime seizure near the United Arab Emirates sharpened tensions around the Strait of Hormuz today, as a British naval monitoring agency said a vessel had been taken and was heading toward Iranian waters while the US and Chinese presidents met in Beijing for talks that included the Iran war. Following the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, a White House official said both men agreed the Strait of Hormuz must remain open and that Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons.…

A UN official has warned that tens of millions of people could be pushed toward hunger and starvation unless fertilisers are allowed to move through the Strait of Hormuz in the coming weeks, underscoring the mounting risk of a global food crisis. Iran has effectively held the strategic waterway in a chokehold for months, after the war launched by the United States and Israel on 28 February, disrupting a corridor that normally carries a third of the world's fertilisers. The obstruction has rattled a supply chain farmers…

Tarek ChouirefFriday May 8, 2026 Iran said early Friday that it had carried out a major missile and drone assault on US destroyers operating near the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions around one of the world’s most sensitive shipping lanes. In a statement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said the operation was launched after what it called a US ceasefire violation, citing a strike on an Iranian oil tanker near Jask port and the advance of US destroyers toward the strategic waterway. The statement said Iranian…

A fresh warning from Iran's military has raised the stakes in the Strait of Hormuz, after President Donald Trump said the United States would begin helping ships trapped in the Gulf by the US-Israeli war on Iran. Mr Trump offered few specifics on how Washington would assist vessels and crews that he said had been "locked up" in the strategic waterway, with many now short of food and other essential supplies more than two months into the conflict. "We have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of…

Iran has released dramatic footage of commandos boarding a massive cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring its tightening hold on the strategic passage after peace talks broke down. Washington had pinned hopes on the negotiations to reopen what is widely regarded as the world's most vital shipping route. On Iranian state television, masked forces were shown racing up to the MSC Francesca in a speedboat, scaling a rope ladder to a hull door and leaping inside with rifles in hand. The video, set to an…

Iran moved to tighten control of the Strait of Hormuz by seizing two ships, escalating pressure in the strategic waterway just after US President Donald Trump said he was indefinitely shelving planned attacks and with peace efforts still stalled. The fate of a ceasefire that began two weeks ago and was due to expire earlier this week was still uncertain. Only hours after warning of renewed force, Mr Trump abruptly shifted course on Tuesday, appearing to declare unilaterally that the US would prolong the truce while it…

By Caolán MageeWednesday April 22, 2026 Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, off the UAE coast Iran has seized two foreign commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and taken them to its coastline, sharpening tensions in a region already on edge just hours after United States President Donald Trump said he would prolong a ceasefire with Tehran. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the ships had breached maritime rules and entered the vital passage without coordination, according to Iranian…

Fresh uncertainty gripped the Gulf as the Strait of Hormuz remained shut in the escalating standoff between Iran and the United States, with Iran's powerful parliament speaker making clear that, despite signs of progress, any final peace agreement was still a long way off. With mediation efforts continuing after high-level talks in Pakistan ended without a breakthrough, Tehran said the vital maritime chokepoint would stay closed unless Washington lifts its blockade of Iranian ports. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the…

Live updates: Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz Middle East