Read our editorials on the US-Israeli war on Iran here and here.
The Iranian Navy seized two container ships in the Strait of Hormuz and attacked a third on April 22 after reporting that the ships attempted to bypass the Iranian blockade.
One of the ships is linked to Israel, according to Iranian officials. The attack comes just days after Trump claimed to have “completely obliterated” Iran’s Navy.
On April 20, the US captured an Iranian container ship outside the Strait of Hormuz as part of its naval blockade on Iran. Iranian officials condemned US imperialism’s violation of the ceasefire as “an act of piracy.”
“Iran knows how to neutralize restrictions, how to defend its interests, and how to resist bullying,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media. 34 Iranian ships have successfully bypassed the US naval blockade since it went into effect on April 13, according to cargo tracking group Vortexa.
The Trump administration began its naval blockade after negotiations fell apart between the two countries over the previous weekend. Iranian officials accused the US of reneging on the terms of the April 7 ceasefire agreement, which stipulated negotiations would proceed on the basis of Iran’s conditions. The Iranian delegation refused to give in to US imperialism’s blackmail and what it called “maximalist demands.”
In response to the US naval blockade, Iran reimposed its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which one-fifth of the world’s oil passes. The blockade has been in place for much of the US-Israeli invasion of Iran, which began on February 28, and has exacerbated the general imperialist economic crisis. The International Energy Agency has called it “the biggest [energy] crisis in history.”
Iran did not respond to US attempts to meet earlier in the week before the ceasefire was set to expire. “Iran has concluded that participating in negotiations without a clear agenda is merely a tool used by the United States to manage energy markets,” an Iranian official said.
Despite renewed threats to attack civilian targets in Iran, Trump abruptly announced that he would indefinitely extend the two-week ceasefire with Iran, which expired on April 22, while he waits for Iran’s response to the US’s latest proposal.
“Trump’s decision to extend the ceasefire makes no sense. The ceasefire extension is an attempt to buy time for a surprise attack. Iran currently holds the initiative,” said Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament.
US monopoly media have reported about 10,000 US troops are currently on the way to the region, along with more military equipment, including another aircraft carrier.
Meanwhile, Zionist forces continue to violate the 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, carrying out an extermination campaign in southern Lebanon, where the Israeli army occupies territory. Unlike during the previous ceasefire, which Israel violated over 15,400 times according to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Hezbollah has retaliated against the latest attacks, striking Zionist troop gatherings, military infrastructure, and military vehicles.
Image: The MSC-Francesca, seized by the Iranian Navy on April 22. Iran says the container ship is linked to Israel. Credit: Press TV.
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