US-Iran war updates: Third ship under attack in Strait of Hormuz after Donald Trump extended ceasefire

A third ship has been fired at in the Starit of Hormuz while travelling outbound from Iran.

The cargo vessel, Panama-flagged MSC Francesca, was struck about six nautical miles off the coast of Iran.

Nour News, affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, has shot down claims made by the United Kingdom Maritime Tarde Operations Centre that no radio warning was given to the ship.

It instead says warnings from the Iranian armed forced were “ignored.”

“Damage to the hull and accommodation’ was sustained in the attack.

The British military says a second ship has come under attack in the Strait of Hormuz, just hours after another vessel was fired at by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKTMO) said the cargo ship had been fired upon eight nautical miles west of Iran.

“The master of an outbound cargo ship reports having been fired upon and is now stopped in the water,” the agency said.

“Crews are safe and accounted for. There is no reported damage to the vessel.

“UKTMO is aware of high levels of activity in the SoH (Strait of Hormuz) area and encourages vessels to report any suspicious activity.”

The agency has not provided any further details to suggest who is responsible for shooting at the vessel.

It comes after reports of a container ship being attacked by an Iranian gunboat near Oman.

There are reports an Iranian ‘gun boat’ has fired at a container vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKTMO).

The UKTMO said the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ boat “fired upon the the vessel” despite there being no radio warning prior.

The container ship’s bridge has been significantly damaged as a result of the incident that took place about 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman. .

“No fires or environmental impact reported. All crew reported safe,” a report released by UKTMO reads.

One person has been killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon, according to the country’s state news agency.

The National News Agency said the strike took place over night in the western Bekaa Valley.

Two other people were also injured in the attack.

The local share market has fallen amid fears the Middle East conflict could delay US interest rate cuts, even after President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire with Iran at the request of Pakistani mediators.

At noon AEST on Wednesday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 80.8 points, or 0.9 per cent, to 8,868.6, while the broader All Ordinaries was down 80.6 points, or 0.88 per cent, to 9,096.5.

Mr Trump said in a social media post he was extending the two-week ceasefire, which had been set to expire at 10am AEST on Thursday, because the Iranian government was “seriously fractured” and hadn’t submitted a unified proposal.

But negotiators in Tehran said they wouldn’t attend talks with the US, calling them a waste of time, Iranian state media reported.

Also in Washington, Mr Trump’s pick to chair the US Federal Reserve struck a hawkish stance during his Senate nomination hearing.

Kevin Warsh said Mr Trump had never asked him to commit to interest rate cuts and told the Senate Banking Committee that fighting inflation would be his top priority.

The market’s implied odds for a US interest rate cut by December fell to just 27.9 per cent after the meeting, from 36.2 per cent a day earlier, according to CME Fedwatch.

At midday, six of the ASX’s 11 sectors were lower and four were higher, with industrials basically flat.

US President Donald Trump says Iran is collapsing financially, claiming that local military and police personnel are starting to complain about not getting paid.

“Iran is collapsing financially!” Mr Trump announced on Truth Social.

“They want the Strait of Hormuz opened immediately- Starving for cash!

“Losing 500 Million Dollars a day.

“Military and Police complaining that they are not getting paid. SOS!!!”

The bizarre post comes as the US President continues to taunt the regime in an attempt to force them into negotiations.

Iran’s state media have reported that the regime is ready and prepared to break US President Donald Trump’s blockade “by force” to regain control of the Strait of Hormuz.

“As long as the blockade persists, Iran will at least not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and if necessary, it will break the blockade by force,” a statement broadcast by Tasnim News Agency said.

“If the United States wants to maintain the shadow of war, it should consider the Strait of Hormuz effectively fully closed.”

The stance adds pressure on Mr Trump who has been urged to pull out of Iran while he can, as any escalation will likely put more American lives at risk.

US President Donald Trump says that Iran is attempting to “save face” by keeping the Strait of Hormuz shut, despite wanting to open it, according to him.

“Iran doesn’t want the Strait of Hormuz closed, they want it open so they can make $500 Million Dollars a day (which is, therefore, what they are losing if it is closed!),” MR Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“They only say they want it closed because I have it totally BLOCKADED (CLOSED!), so they merely want to ‘save face’.”

The US and Iran have reached a tense stalemate over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran appears unwilling to enter peace talks while the US blockade is in place. Mr Trump doesn’t want to remove the blockade until the strait is fully open.

“People approached me four days ago, saying, ‘Sir, Iran wants to open up the Strait, immediately’,” Mr Trump added.

“But if we do that (clear the blockade), there can never be a Deal with Iran, unless we blow up the rest of their Country, their leaders included!”

Claims have emerged that US President Donald Trump was blocked from accessing the nuclear codes that would have allowed him to launch a nuclear attack on Iran.

Reports have been swirling since Mr Trump waged war on Iran that he was considering the possible use of nuclear weapons.

However, weeks into the war, a consistent line appeared almost out of nowhere stating that Mr Trump was not considering the use of nuclear weapons and never was.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was the first to push the official line out, with Mr Trump soon following with mentions in his remarks and social media posts.

If the claims that Mr Trump was blocked from accessing the codes to launch a nuclear attack are true, he may have never had the option.

Read more.

Australia has secured four extra shiploads of diesel through BP and Viva, containing an extra 200 million litres of the fuel, scheduled to arrive at the end of May and early June.

The cargoes will come from South Korea, Brunei and Malaysia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Wednesday morning.

They’re destined for Brisbane, Sydney, Geelong and Perth.

The shipments will be underwritten by the government.

“I think Australians know they see it on their TV every night that we’re in a very volatile environment, there are different announcements each and every day and sometimes across just a number of hours about what is going on in the Middle East,” Mr Albanese said.

“We can’t control all of that, because we’re not participants in that conflict. What we can control is how we respond, and we’re responding by throwing everything at it, everything at supply, to make a difference.”