Tanker Seizures By Iran Don’t Breach Ceasefire: White House

Not only did President Trump this week unilaterally extend the Iran ceasefire by at least three to five days (upon initial announcement), but he has refrained from ordering new attacks against the Islamic Republic even as the IRGC navy continued intercepting foreign tankers.

By Tuesday, he had extended the ceasefire indefinitely, writing on Truth Social: “Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal.”

On Wednesday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) had targeted two cargo vessels – the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas, a Greek-owned ship, and forced them to Iran’s coast, effectively seizing them.

Iran’s interceptions of ‘unauthorized’ vessels as it tries to maintain its side of the blockade has not abated, but has only intensified, and yet there’s no bombs away from the US or Israel.

This has left pundits wondering why the act of brazen tanker seizures by Iran does not constitute a ceasefire violation in Washington’s eyes. Both the US President and his Press Secretary have responded and explained:

President Trump told Fox News on Wednesday that there was “no time pressure” on holding a new round of talks or on the cease-fire, and “no timeline” for ending the war. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told Fox separately that Mr. Trump did not view Iran’s reported ship seizures as a violation of the cease-fire.

The reported seizures happened after the U.S. Navy prevented dozens of ships from leaving or accessing Iranian ports as part of a blockade ordered by Mr. Trump.

“These were not US or Israeli ships, these were two international vessels,” Leavitt had sought to clarify in her comments to Fox News, explaining that the naval blockade the US has imposed “continues to be incredibly effective.”

Despite that on the US side of the blockade – which aims to halt any vessel going in or out that visited or plans to visit Iranian ports (or which is under sanctions) - it remains that shipping companies are mostly keeping vessels away from the strait due to the lingering immense risk. Thus far, at least a couple dozen of acceptable and US ‘approved’ ships have made it out based on CENTCOM permission

.@PressSec: “Iran has gone from having the most lethal navy in the Middle East to now acting like a bunch of pirates. They don’t have control over the Strait—this is piracy that we are seeing on display, and the naval blockade that the United States has imposed continues to be… pic.twitter.com/yCnQGfIe2c

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 22, 2026

All of this also comes after Wednesday reports that Iran had fired on a third ship, after already interdicting at least two, amid threats to continue to keep up the pressure and inflict pain on the global economy.

Some pundits have highlighted that it is the White House side that keeps backing off its threats to bomb Iran, while moving the goalposts of what constitutes a breach of the ceasefire. Perhaps US officials are increasingly aware they are on the brink of entering an intractable quagmire, but perhaps it’s already too late.