Iranian gunboat hits vessel off Oman: Maritime agency

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian gunboats attacked a vessel off the coast of Oman early Wednesday, a British maritime agency reported, hours after US President Donald Trump gave Tehran limited time to decide on upcoming negotiations in Islamabad.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a gunboat belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) struck a vessel 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman without attempting to identify it, causing “heavy damage to the bridge,” adding that the crew is reported safe.

The incident comes as both sides continue escalatory actions around the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20 percent of global oil supplies typically pass, following a two-week ceasefire between Washington and Tehran that halted nearly six weeks of war triggered by a US and Israeli military campaign against Iran. Trump said Tuesday he had agreed to extend the ceasefire at Pakistan’s request to give Iran time to submit a “unified proposal” for an agreement.

UKMTO later reported that it has received report another incident 8 nautical miles west of Iran.

“A master of an outbound cargo ship reports having been fired upon and is now stopped in the water,” it said, adding that “crew are safe and accounted for. There is no reported damage to the vessel.

Last week, Washington imposed a naval blockade on vessels traveling to and from Iran, with the US military saying Sunday it had turned back nearly two dozen ships. In response, Iran maintained restrictions on the strategic waterway.

While the first round of talks ended without a final agreement on April 11, Pakistan has in recent days intensified efforts to host a second round on Wednesday. However, as of the time of writing, those efforts have yet to produce tangible results.

Tasnim News Agency, an outlet affiliated with the IRGC, reported Tuesday that Iran’s negotiating team will not attend talks in Islamabad on Wednesday.