Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, highlighting ongoing risks to global energy supplies and complicating efforts to restart US-Iran talks aimed at ending the war.
Iranian media said the attacks were carried out by the paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The incident came after President Donald Trump announced the US would indefinitely extend the ceasefire with Iran, due to expire on Wednesday. Trump said the US would continue to blockade Iranian ports, and the attacks underscored the dangers to shipping in the strait, through which about 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas pass in peacetime.
Even if the ceasefire largely holds and major attacks do not resume, the conflict will continue to burden the global economy. The war has already pushed fuel prices higher worldwide and raised costs for food and many other goods. The longer the strait remains disrupted, the more severe and widespread the economic effects will be, and the longer recovery will take.
Iran has not formally acknowledged Trump’s ceasefire extension. An Iranian diplomat said talks would not resume until the blockade is lifted. — with Agencies
3,375 people killed in Iran
April 22, 2026 1:03 pm
Dubai: Since the war started, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran, according to authorities. More than 2,290 people have been killed in Lebanon, 23 people have died in Israel and more than a dozen have died in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 US service members throughout the region have been killed. AP
UK inflation rises to 3.3 per cent as Iran war impact begins to hit
April 22, 2026 11:23 am
London: British consumer price inflation rose to an annual rate of 3.3% in March from 3.0% in February, official figures showed on Wednesday, reflecting the first impact on prices from the war in the Middle East. Factory gate prices also rose sharply and by much more than expected. Reuters
Iran fires on container ship in Strait of Hormuz
April 22, 2026 10:23 am
Dubai: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard opened fire on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, damaging the vessel and raising stakes as planned ceasefire talks in Pakistan failed to materialise. The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre said the attack occurred around 7:55 am and targeted a container ship; a Guard gunboat did not hail the ship before firing. The UKMTO said no one was hurt and there was no environmental impact. Iran did not immediately acknowledge the assault. The incident follows US seizures of an Iranian container ship after it was shot this past weekend and the boarding of an oil tanker linked to Iran’s oil trade in the Indian Ocean. AP
UN chief calls US announcement ‘important step toward de-escalation’
April 22, 2026 10:23 am
Dubai: Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the US decision to extend the ceasefire will create “critical space for diplomacy and confidence-building between Iran and the United States,” his spokesperson said. The UN encouraged all parties to build on this momentum, refrain from actions that could undermine the ceasefire, and engage constructively in negotiations. The secretary-general fully supports Pakistan’s efforts to facilitate US-Iran talks. AP
UAE thanks Trump for currency swap mention
April 22, 2026 10:21 am
Dubai: The United Arab Emirates thanked Trump early Wednesday after he mentioned a possible currency swap with the country as uncertainty continues over the Iran war. AP
Trump says Iran wants Hormuz open ‘to make $500 million’, claims total US blockade on shipping
April 22, 2026 8:28 am
Washington: On Truth Social, President Trump said Iran privately wants to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to stem economic losses, arguing Tehran’s public threats are for show. “Iran doesn’t want the Strait of Hormuz closed; they want it open so they can make $500 million a day (which is, therefore, what they are losing if it is closed!),” he posted, suggesting the blockade is crippling Iran’s economy. He added that Iran’s rhetoric aims to “save face” because the US has the strait “totally BLOCKADED (CLOSED!).” ANI
Pakistan PM thanks Trump for extending ceasefire with Iran, hopes for ‘comprehensive peace deal’
April 22, 2026 7:55 am
Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked US President Donald Trump for extending the ceasefire with Iran and expressed hope that both sides could “conclude a comprehensive peace deal” to end the conflict. PTI
Trump issues statement
April 22, 2026 7:47 am
STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP: pic.twitter.com/ATdRyY1qqK — The White House (April 21, 2026)
