Owner of attacked tanker denies cryptocurrency scam claimspublished at 14:54 BST

14:54 BST

By Kayleen Devlin

The company which owns an Indian-flagged tanker that was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, despite its captain saying the ship had been granted clearance by Iran, has denied the vessel had fallen victim to a cryptocurrency scam.

In a statement sent to BBC Verify, Sanmar Group says “these reports are completely false” and that it is working closely with the Indian government to ensure the vessel’s safe passage.

The denial comes after Greek maritime risk management firm Marisks issued a warning, first reported by Reuters,, external that some shipping companies with vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz have received fraudulent messages promising safe passage in exchange for cryptocurrency.

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are a type of digital money which operate outside traditional banking systems, often allowing payments to be made quickly and with a degree of anonymity.

There have been reports of several ships being struck since Iran said it had closed the strait again on 18 April, with some claiming they had been given clearance to transit.

Carrie Davies
Pakistan correspondent in Islamabad

As with President Trump, Iran has used social media to lay out its demands and position as well as taunt the US and issue threats.

The internet monitoring organisation Netblocks has reported an internet blackout in Iran, so how many of these posts are for domestic rather than international consumption is questionable.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is Iran’s parliamentary speaker and led the delegation that met Vice President JD Vance in Islamabad last week.

In the run up to those talks, he’s used his X account to declare in English that Iran would not negotiate without a ceasefire in Lebanon and troll Trump over the high gas prices the war is has created.

Indeed, trolling has been a common theme, often coming from Iran’s foreign embassies. The Iranian embassy in Zimbabwe, for instance, has shared multiple posts including of an AI generated Trump dressed as a pirate on a film poster titled Pirates of the Hormuz.

Both the US and Iran are using online platforms to try to undermine the other; the question too is what impact the flood of messages has on the delicate dance of negotiations.

Two people have been killed in an Israeli attack on a car in the village of al-Tiri, southern Lebanon, according to state-run National News Agency.

Yesterday, the Israel Defense Forces issued a warning to residents to stay away from the Litani River, Wadi al-Salouqi and Wadi al-Salhani, citing "ongoing terrorist activities of Hezbollah".

A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was announced on 16 April and is due to last 10 days. Washington is due to host ambassador-level talks on Thursday.

Both Hezbollah and Israel have accused each other of violating the ceasefire agreement. The IDF said earlier that Hezbollah launched an attack on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.

MarineTraffic data shows probable, approximate locations of cargo ship attackspublished at 14:14 BST

14:14 BST

By Paul Brown

BBC Verify’s analysis of vessel-tracking data has identified the probable and approximate locations of the three cargo ships when they were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz this morning.

The positions being broadcast on MarineTraffic for Euphoria, MSC Francesca and Epaminondas show all three cargo ships changed their direction at the time they were reportedly attacked.

This tracking data also matches with the approximate locations for two incidents given by UKMTO - and MSC Francesca’s change in direction fits with the time of the attack reported to BBC Verify by maritime intelligence firm Vanguard.

Location data monitoring has limitations as ships can turn their trackers off - or attempt to hide their location by broadcasting a false position, known as “spoofing”.

Iran says it has seized the MSC Francesca and Epaminondas, but it has not commented on the status of the Euphoria.

Here’s a map showing the approximate locations of these three incidents in the strait:

Jonathan Josephs
Business reporter

It appears that that two of the three ships that have been targeted by Iran were part of a convoy belonging to the world’s biggest shipping company, MSC.

The Strait of Hormuz seemed to reopen briefly on Friday for a short window and that might have been sufficient encouragement for them to try and make a run for it.

The MSC Francesca and MSC Epaminondas, as well as four others, had been trapped in the Gulf since before the start of this conflict.

However, the others, MSC Clara, MSC Grace, MSC Margrit XIII, and MSC Madeleine are now safely on the eastern side of the Arabian sea, according to transponder data analysed by maritime data firm Linerlytica.

Those four all seemed to turn off their transponders to hide their locations whilst they made the hazardous journey. Two other container ships also made it out.

However, despite being relatively smaller cargo vessels the MSC Francesca and MSC Epaminondas don’t seem to have been so lucky and have been seized by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces, apparently for inspection.

There’s no word from MSC, which normally tries to keep a low profile. Despite being headquartered in landlocked Switzerland, its ships handle about 20% of all the world’s goods that move by sea.

Image source, (C)2007 {Henk de Winde}, all rights reserved

The Iranian regime appears to fear renewed unrestpublished at 13:48 BST

13:48 BST

Jiyar Gol
BBC Persian, reporting from Islamabad

Image source, Getty Images

Authorities in Iran appear to be trying to control the narrative by restricting internet access and presenting an image of widespread public support.

It remains uncertain how much hardship people can endure under ongoing economic pressure and censorship.

Just yesterday, another protester who was arrested during the nationwide protests in January was executed. Iran’s judiciary identified him as Amir Ali Mirjafari, alleging that he set fire to a mosque in Tehran.

Human rights groups say that at least 14 people have been executed in recent weeks and report that a growing number of death sentences have been handed out to protesters - some of them accused of espionage.

The executions are a stark sign the regime is deeply fearful of an uprising.

In January, the regime killed tens of thousands of protesters demanding change.

Basiji militias commanders appear on state television warning that dissent will be punished in the same way the regime claims to confront foreign enemies like the US and Israel.

BBC Monitoring

Iran on Wednesday executed a man convicted of spying for Israel's Mossad intelligence service.

Iranian media says the man had worked in a sensitive state organisation's passive defence committee and had extensive contact with a Mossad officer.

On Tuesday, Iran executed another man in connection with the January protests, also accusing him of having contacts with Mossad.

Iran has executed more than a dozen people since the beginning of the conflict, with some accused of spying for Israel, others for their alleged membership of the exiled opposition group Mojahedin-e Khalq Organisation, or for their role in the January unrest.

Meanwhile, Iran's judiciary on Tuesday dismissed reports that eight women were facing imminent execution, after Donald Trump called for their release.

The judiciary-run Mizan News Agency said the US president had been misled by "fake news" spread by "hostile" opposition media, saying that several of the women have already been released, while others faced charges not carrying the death penalty.

The Israeli military says it is "unaware" of a strike reported by Lebanese media to have killed one person and injured two near the Litani River.

Lebanese state-run National News Agency said the strike hit Western Bekaa, an area near the Litani River, at dawn.

On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces issued a warning to residents to stay away from the Litani River, Wadi al-Salouqi and Wadi al-Salhani, citing "ongoing terrorist activities of Hezbollah".

Lebanon and Israel agreed to a 10-day ceasefire last week, and Washington is due to host ambassador-level talks on Thursday, though both Hezbollah and Israel have accused each other of violating the ceasefire agreement.

Meanwhile, Israel says on Wednesday it has intercepted a hostile aircraft launched by Hezbollah towards Israeli military forces operating in southern Lebanon.

Image source, Getty

Image source, Getty Images

Communications are under way "to extend the ceasefire deadline" between Israel and Lebanon, Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun says.

It comes ahead of the second round of talks in Washington DC on Thursday between the two countries, which are in the midst of a temporary 10-day truce that took effect from 17:00 EST (21:00 GMT, midnight local time) on 16 April.

In a post on X, Aoun says the talks being prepared are "based on a complete halt to Israeli aggressions, achieving the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territories, the return of prisoners, the deployment of the army to the international borders, and the start of reconstruction of what was destroyed during this war".

Aoun says that Lebanon's position on "negotiations is clear: no concessions, no bargaining, and no surrender except for what achieves Lebanese sovereignty and the interests of all Lebanese".

The support from the US has provided Lebanon with an "opportunity that we must not squander," the post from his office adds.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Here's a reminder of how two ceasefires on different fronts of the conflict in the Middle East came to be:

US and Iran

8 April: Pakistan, acting as mediator, announces a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, which is due to end on 22 April.

Trump said the deal was agreed on the condition that the Strait of Hormuz reopen. Pakistan said Lebanon was included. Iran agrees, but the US and Israel dispute this.

11 April: Senior US and Iranian officials, including Vice-President JD Vance and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, meet in Pakistan. After 21 hours of back and forth, Washington and Tehran remain far apart on key sticking points.

12 April: Trump announces a blockade of Iranian shipping as Iran continues its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after the failure of the Islamabad talks.

21 April: Trump agrees to extend the ceasefire for an unspecified time so negotiations can continue.

Israel and Lebanon

14 April: Lebanon and Israel hold their first diplomatic talks since 1993, a rare encounter aimed at ending fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group, which operates in southern Lebanon.

16 April: The US announces a 10-day ceasefire has been agreed between Israel and Lebanon, which is due to expire on 26 April.

Trump urged Hezbollah, which had been trading fire with Israel, to abide by it. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has meanwhile said troops will remain stationed 10km (6.2 miles) into southern Lebanon, despite the ceasefire.

Image source, Reuters

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei says the country is "closely monitoring developments" in the political arena, in response to requests for a ceasefire from Pakistan, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

In a post on Telegram, IRNA quotes Baghaei as saying Iran will take “necessary and appropriate measures to safeguard Iran’s national interests and security”.

Last night, US President Donald Trump announced he would extend the ceasefire on Pakistan's request, citing what he called Iran's "seriously fractured" government.

On the possibility of further negotiations with Washington, Baghaei says: “Diplomacy is a tool for securing national interests and security, and whenever we conclude that the necessary and reasonable conditions exist to use this tool… we will take action.”

• Esmail Baghaei earlier gave an interview to the BBC's chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet, you can read about that here

Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian

Iranian outlets, including Iran’s state TV Telegram channel, have published a statement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy.

In the statement, the IRGC Navy says that two ships, MSC Francesca and Epaminondas, have been transferred to the territorial waters of Iran for “inspection of their cargo, documents, and records”.

It says that the ships were "operating without authorisation" and committed "repeated violations", accusing them of trying to leave the Strait of Hormuz "in secret" and tampering with navigation systems.

The BBC cannot independently verify this claim.

The IRGC Navy has warned that it is “monitoring” movements through the strategic Strait of Hormuz and has vowed “firm” action against the “violators”.

In this statement there’s no mention of the ship Euphoria, which we earlier reported was also targeted on Wednesday.

Image source, AGUSTIN ALAPONT VIA MARINE TRAFFIC

Ship strikes put added pressure on US-Iran trucepublished at 11:59 BST

11:59 BST

Sebastian Usher
Middle East analyst

Image source, EPA

Hours after President Trump announced an extension of the ceasefire, Iran seems to be stepping up its control of the Strait of Hormuz - which has been a key obstacle in making progress towards a peace deal.

Gunboats from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are reported to have intercepted vessels trying to cross the waterway.

No casualties or major damage have been reported, but the move will put added pressure on the renewed truce, while also underlining the risk the current deadlock runs of allowing the conflict to re-ignite.

In his latest comments, President Trump portrayed the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as an economic own goal for Tehran - but it's the political pressure it brings to bear on the US that Tehran seems intent on maximising.

A third ship has been hit by gunfire in the Strait of Hormuz, the world's busiest oil shipping channel, where sea traffic there has been significantly reduced.

Tehran effectively stopped all traffic after the US and Israel attacked the country on 28 February, and the US then introduced a naval blockade on Iran's ports.

US forces boarded an Iranian-flagged cargo ship on Sunday and the Pentagon said forces boarded a "sanctioned" tanker in the Indo-Pacific region linked to Iran yesterday. Iran described this as an act of "piracy".

What has the US said?

President Donald Trump says the US-Iran ceasefire was agreed on the condition that Tehran reopens the strait, and he claims his blockade of Iran's ports is costing the country $500m (£370m) per day.

He said on Truth Social that the US was winning the war by "a lot" and that it will not lift its blockade on Iranian ports until a deal has been reached with Tehran.

After days of uncertainty about whether Iran would attend negotiations as the ceasefire was coming to an end, Trump extended the truce until talks between the countries progress.

What has Iran said?

Senior Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Azizi told the BBC Iran would "never" give up its control of the strait, and foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the US blockade was "an act of aggression".

Iran said it had reopened the strait for commercial vessels using designated safe lanes last week. However, when Trump said he would continue the naval blockade, Tehran again closed it.

Three cargo ships have been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iranian media say.

Here is the latest on what we know:

Attack one:

The UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) reported an IRGC "gun boat" opened fire on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman causing heavy damage to the vessel's bridge. The vessel involved was the Epaminondas, owned by a Greek company.

Attack two:

The Panama-flagged Euphoria, which is owned by a UAE-based company, also came under attack eight nautical miles west of Iran, according to Vanguard and the UKMTO. The crew are said to be safe and no damage is reported to the vessel.

Attack three:

The Panama-flagged MSC Francesca was targeted about six nautical miles off the coast of Iran while it was heading south out of the Strait and into the Gulf of Oman, maritime intelligence firm Vanguard told BBC Verify. The ship has reported "damage to the hull and accommodation".

The IRGC Navy says the MSC Francesca and Epaminondas were "seized" and directed towards the Iranian coast, alleging they were "operating without the necessary permits and tampering with navigation systems".

Image source, Getty Images

Iranian media are reporting that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted the three ships hit in the Strait of Hormuz.

IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency says a ship called Euphoria was targeted and is now grounded off the coast of Iran.

Iranian media say the MSC Francesca and Epaminondas were "seized" and directed towards the Iranian coast, citing a statement from the IRGC Navy.

We can bring you an update now on the first reported incident involving a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.

As a reminder, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) "gun boat" fired on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz. The ship involved is the Greek-flagged Epaminondas, BBC Verify understands.

Nour News, affiliated with Iran's Supreme National Security Council, disputes an account given by the master of the ship to the UKMTO that no radio warning was given to the vessel.

Instead, it says the ship had "ignored warnings" from the Iranian armed forces.

UKMTO says the incident took place 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman and caused heavy damage to the bridge of the ship.

Third ship hit in Strait of Hormuz this morning, Vanguard sayspublished at 10:33 BST

10:33 BSTBreaking

By Kayleen Devlin and Paul Brown

A third cargo ship has been attacked while attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, maritime intelligence firm Vanguard has told BBC Verify.

The ship, Panama-flagged MSC Francesca, was targeted about six nautical miles off the coast of Iran while it was heading south out of the Strait and into the Gulf of Oman.

Vanguard says the MSC Francesca was hailed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and “instructed to drop anchor”.

The ship has reported “damage to the hull and accommodation”, no further information is currently available.

Image source, Agustin Alapont via Marine Traffic

Worst crisis Gulf has known since 1990published at 10:23 BST

10:23 BST

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Image source, Reuters

The Iran-US conflict is now in a dangerous state of limbo.

Dangerous, because neither side trusts the other and Iran is poised, believing Donald Trump is simply playing for time before launching a surprise attack.

In limbo, because Iran refuses to come to peace talks while the US naval blockade is still in place. So although the ceasefire has been indefinitely extended this is still a highly unsatisfactory situation all round.

The Strait of Hormuz is now too dangerous for all but a trickle of traffic. Iranian gunboats have fired on vessels trying to get through while the US says its forces have turned back more than 20 vessels travelling to or from Iranian ports.

The net result is deeply damaging for both Iran and the global economy.

The longer this standoff continues the worse the effect on the global economy and the greater the risk that a spark will reignite a full-scale war in the Gulf, with the US carrying out its threat to hit Iran’s power plants and Iran retaliating against its neighbouring Arab Gulf states.

This is the worst crisis the Gulf has known since Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990.

Second ship hit this morning is owned by UAE - BBC Verifypublished at 10:06 BST

10:06 BST

By Kayleen Devlin and Paul Brown

BBC Verify understands that the cargo ship targeted this morning is the Panama-flagged Euphoria, owned by a UAE-based company.

AIS data from Kpler shows the vessel began transiting the strait at 01:10 UTC (2:10 BST) on 22 April, with Jeddah, Saudi Arabia listed as its destination.

Reports from both the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre and Vanguard indicate that the ship came under attack eight nautical miles west of Iran at 06:38 UTC (07:38 BST). The vessel’s master brought the ship to a halt. The crew are said to be safe, and no damage is reported to the vessel.

It's the second ship to be fired on this morning in the Gulf. Earlier, it was reported a Greek-owned ship was fired on by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.