Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy seized two vessels for what it described as maritime violations and transferred them to Iranian shores, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday.
In a statement, the Guards said the ships, which they identified as the MSC Francesca and the Epaminodes, were detained for "operating without the required authorization and for manipulating navigation systems," adding that this endangered maritime safety.
Earlier Wednesday, at least three container ships were hit by gunfire in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, maritime security sources and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.
A Liberia-flagged container ship sustained damage to its bridge after being hit by gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades northeast of Oman.
The UKMTO said the master of the vessel reported being approached by an IRGC gunboat. The vessel, it said, was subsequently fired upon. All crew members were safe, and there was no fire or environmental impact due to the incident.
Maritime security sources said that three people were on board that gunboat.
The master of the Greek-operated container ship also reported that no radio contact was made prior to the incident and that the vessel had been initially informed that it had permission to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
The UKMTO later said that a second container vessel had been fired upon about eight nautical miles west of Iran. The Panama-flagged vessel was not damaged and its crew members are safe.
Maritime security sources said that a third container ship was fired upon about eight nautical miles west of Iran while transiting outbound of the Strait of Hormuz. The Liberia-flagged vessel, which was not damaged, had stopped in the water. Its crew are safe, the sources said.
IRGC says it is 'prepared to confront any new aggression'
Following the report of the attacks, the IRGC issued a statement to Iranian state news, declaring that they are prepared to confront any new aggression.
The statement emphasized the group's readiness to "inflict crushing blows on the enemy's remaining assets" if renewed conflict arises.
Additionally, the terror group stressed the need for vigilance in what it described as the “silent battlefield,” and for close monitoring of enemy actions during the “so-called ceasefire,” though it did not clarify what it meant by the term.
The attacks comes after United States President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the temporary ceasefire between the US and Iran will be extended until Iranian officials submit a "unified proposal" for discussion. This announcement was made in a post on Truth Social.
Trump explained that the decision to extend the ceasefire, which was originally set to expire on Wednesday, was made "based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured" and also at the request of Pakistani officials.
Previous IRGC attacks on the Strait of Hormuz
Last week, in reaction to the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian military announced it was reasserting its military control over the strait.
The Iranian military statement emphasized that "as long as the United States does not ensure full freedom of navigation for vessels traveling to and from Iran, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain tightly controlled."
Following Iran's threat, at least two merchant vessels reported being hit by gunfire while attempting to cross the Strait, according to three maritime security and shipping sources.
The extent of the damage was not immediately clear; however, UKMTO stated it had received a report that a tanker was fired upon by "two gunboats linked to the IRGC" approximately 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman.
The captain of the tanker reported that the two gunboats opened fire without issuing a radio challenge. UKMTO noted in its advisory that the vessel and its crew were safe.