INTERNACIONAL
Iran seizes ships in Hormuz as US talks falter after ceasefire extension
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Iran seized two container ships in the Strait of Hormuz hours after President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire, as confrontations at sea continued under the truce.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said the vessels, identified as the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas, were operating without proper authorization and had tampered with navigation systems, accusations that could not be independently verified. The ships had earlier reported coming under fire near the strait, underscoring the increasingly volatile conditions in one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.
Both ships are managed by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).
The Guard attacked a third ship, identified as the Euphoria, which had become «stranded» on the Iranian coast, Iranian media reported.
In a turn of events Tuesday, Trump announced he would extend the two-week ceasefire with Iran. For how long is unclear, but a White House official told Fox News it would be several days.
IRAN FIRES LIVE MISSILES INTO STRAIT OF HORMUZ AS TRUMP ENVOYS ARRIVE FOR NUCLEAR TALKS
Despite heavy U.S. strikes that officials say severely degraded Iran’s conventional navy, Tehran maintains maritime capability through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ fleet of fast-attack boats used for harassment and boarding operations in the narrow strait.
«We should think in the thousands,» Farzin Nadimi, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told Fox News Digital. «If you include very small boats up to more capable fast-attack craft, the total could reach 3,000 to 4,000 vessels.»
Those forces have been used to harass commercial ships, force them to stop, and take them into custody. Iranian state media said similar tactics were used when Revolutionary Guard units attacked multiple vessels before escorting at least two into Iranian waters.
The Iranian made ‘Seraj’ a high-speed missile-launching assault boat on display in Tehran on August 23, 2010, as Iran kicked off mass production of two high-speed missile-launching assault boats the ‘Seraj’ (Lamp) and ‘Zolfaqar’ (named after Shiite Imam Ali’s sword) speedboats which will be manufactured at the marine industries complex of the ministry of defence. (YALDA MOAIERY/AFP via Getty Images)
The continued attacks highlight a gap between battlefield claims and reality.
In a Truth Social post April 13, Trump said, «Iran’s Navy is obliterated. It is laying at the bottom of the sea,» adding that U.S. forces did not need to target Iran’s «little fast-attack boats» because they were not a threat.
TRUMP WATCHES STRIKE ON IRAN-BACKED HOUTHIS IN YEMEN IN NEW WHITE HOUSE PICS AS LARGE-SCALE OP CONTINUES
But those smaller vessels, long a cornerstone of Iran’s asymmetric strategy, are now central to its ability to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The seizures mark the latest escalation in a widening maritime standoff between Iran and Washington.
Both sides have targeted commercial and cargo vessels as part of a broader pressure campaign tied to stalled negotiations. U.S. forces have also moved to seize at least one Iranian-linked vessel in the region, with each side accusing the other of violating the terms of a fragile ceasefire.
The Strait of Hormuz is a vital artery for global oil shipments, with roughly 20% of the world’s supply passing through it. Traffic has slowed dramatically as ships reroute or avoid the area amid gunfire, seizures and conflicting directives from both militaries.
In a series of Truth Social posts Tuesday night, Trump claimed Iran privately wants the Strait of Hormuz reopened despite public threats to close it.
«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!),» he wrote.
The Iranian-flagged Touska cargo ship pours smoke out after U.S. forces launched missiles at its control room following its violation of the U.S. blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. (U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM))
«But if we do that, there can never be a Deal with Iran, unless we blow up the rest of their Country, their leaders included!»
Trump said he agreed to extend the ceasefire at the request of Pakistani officials while waiting for Iran’s leadership to present a unified position in negotiations.
«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,» Trump wrote on Truth Social.
«I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other,» he added.
Plans for renewed peace talks remain in limbo, with Iran signaling it may not participate in a second round of negotiations while the U.S. maintains its naval blockade. The blockade remains a key sticking point driving the confrontation at sea.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the naval blockade an «act of war,» accusing Washington of violating the ceasefire.
«Blockading Iranian ports is an act of war and thus a violation of the ceasefire. Striking a commercial vessel and taking its crew hostage is an even greater violation,» he wrote on X.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the naval blockade an «act of war,» accusing Washington of violating the ceasefire. (Vahid Salemi/AP)
The comments came after U.S. forces moved to seize Iran’s M/V Touska vessel on Monday, which Araghchi described as «an act of piracy.»
The seizures come as U.S.-Iran diplomacy appears increasingly uncertain, with a planned second round of talks in Islamabad thrown into doubt. Vice President JD Vance, who had been expected to lead the U.S. delegation, remained in Washington after Iran signaled it would not participate, scrapping plans for the delegation to travel to Pakistan.
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The abrupt shift followed a day of mixed signals from Trump, who said Tuesday morning he did not want to extend the ceasefire as its deadline approached, warning time for negotiations was running out. By the afternoon, however, he reversed course and announced he would extend the truce indefinitely to allow more time for diplomacy.
The reversal has further clouded fragile negotiations. No date has been set for renewed talks, and Iranian officials continue to insist they will not engage while the U.S. maintains its naval blockade. The confrontation has increasingly shifted from the negotiating table to the waters of the Strait of Hormuz, where the risk of miscalculation is rising.
Fox News’ Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.
wars, us navy, middle east, war with iran, iran
El viceministro de Sustancias Controladas de Bolivia, Ernesto Justiniano, y el director de la Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra el Narcotráfico, William Cabrera, se reunieron este martes con agentes de la Administración para el Control de Drogas de Estados Unidos (DEA, por sus siglas en inglés) en Washington para fortalecer la cooperación en la lucha contra el tráfico de drogas.
Según informó el viceministro al canal Unitel, el tema central del encuentro fue “Sebastián Marset y la institución criminal que estaba detrás de él”.
De igual forma, señaló que en el país hay otras operaciones de organizaciones criminales brasileñas como el Primer Comando Capital (PCC) y el Comando Vermelho sobre las que se está trabajando. En ese marco, el viceministro señaló que se coordinarán acciones con Estados Unidos y otros países, como Perú y Brasil, para el intercambio de información y el fortalecimiento de la lucha contra el crimen organizado.
El presunto narcotraficante uruguayo Sebastián Marset, uno de los criminales más buscados de la región y por quien Estados Unidos ofrecía una recompensa de dos millones de dólares, fue capturado en Bolivia la madrugada del 13 de marzo.
En un operativo policial realizado en la zona residencial de Las Palmas, en el centro de Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Marset fue detenido y trasladado al aeropuerto de Viru Viru, donde fue entregado a las autoridades de la DEA para su traslado a Estados Unidos, donde enfrenta cargos por lavado de dinero.
Tras la captura, las fuerzas policiales bolivianas realizaron múltiples operativos y allanamientos para desarticular la red criminal que lideraba el uruguayo. Según información oficial, se secuestraron al menos 16 avionetas y vehículos blindados, y se intervinieron aeródromos y viviendas en las que operaba su organización.
Sin embargo, estas acciones fueron cuestionadas por la presunta sustracción de objetos de valor —como dinero en efectivo y joyas—, por reportes tardíos sobre la existencia de cajas fuertes y por contradicciones sobre la cantidad de personas aprehendidas.
El ministro de Gobierno, Marco Antonio Oviedo, informó el 5 de mayo ante la Asamblea Legislativa que se había detenido a 55 personas, y tres días más tarde, el viceministro de Régimen del Interior, Hernán Paredes, señaló que eran 20.
Luego de la captura también se vivió una ola de violencia en Santa Cruz, donde se produjeron al menos seis asesinatos, algunos de los cuales estarían relacionados con la disputa por el control del territorio y la organización que lideraba Marset.
Entre las personas abatidas se encontraban personas con antecedentes criminales y algunos directamente vinculados con el uruguayo, como José Pedro R.V., quien presuntamente era piloto de la red, quien fue asesinado a tiros cuando se preparaba para participar en una competencia automovilística a pocos kilómetros de Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
Según la criminóloga y exdirectora del Observatorio de Seguridad Ciudadana, Gabriela Reyes, los asesinatos ocurridos en las últimas semanas son una “consecuencia de no desarticular la organización” del narco uruguayo y de no haber detenido a otros líderes de su red.
“Esto hace que haya una pugna por quién va a encabezar las actividades que Marset llevaba a cabo desde su liderazgo”, afirmó en entrevista con Infobae.
En lo inmediato, y más allá de los acuerdos de cooperación con la DEA y otras instancias, el Gobierno de Bolivia anunció la conformación de un grupo de élite con sede en Santa Cruz, enfocado en combatir el sicariato y la delincuencia organizada. Este grupo está compuesto por policías especializados en lucha contra el narcotráfico y el terrorismo.
Crime,Drug Trafficking / Narcotics,North America
INTERNACIONAL
Vance-led task force cuts off $1.4B from home health, hospice providers suspected of fraud
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EXCLUSIVE: Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud task force has withheld $1.4 billion in federal funding from home health and hospice providers nationwide, following a wave of suspensions enacted by an anti-fraud task force targeting operations in California, Minnesota and several other states.
Approximately 90% of the suspended providers have not reached out to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency tasked with combating fraud, waste and abuse, since payments have been suspended.
Trump administration officials told Fox News Digital that they believe lack of communication between alleged fraudulent providers and CMS indicates that the providers were not legitimate enterprises.
The suspended group includes long-term providers who have been pocketing federal funds for years while failing to communicate with CMS, a senior Trump administration source told Fox News Digital.
«The Vice President’s task force continues to stop the flow of taxpayer funds before they fall into the hands of fraudsters and deliver savings to the American people,» a spokesperson for Vice President JD Vance told Fox News Digital. «This is great momentum in the fight for the President’s War on Fraud.»
LOS ANGELES COUNTY FACES SCRUTINY AFTER ALLEGED WIDESPREAD HOSPICE FRAUD EXPOSED
Vice President JD Vance hosted the first meeting of The Task Force To Eliminate Fraud on March 27. The task force has suspended hundreds of hospices suspected of fraud in Los Angeles alone. (Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump has made the eradication of systemic fraud a cornerstone of his administration’s domestic policy. On Monday, CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz blasted California officials over the state’s hospice crisis, charging that the fraud is «stealing your lives» and pointing to a sophisticated web of international graft.
«We’ve got Russian government involvement, we believe, in Los Angeles. We’ve got the Chinese government involved in a big fraud ring in New York,» Oz told guest host Kayleigh McEnany on «Jesse Watters Primetime.» «And, of course, the Cuban connection… pointed out to me by former Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. We’ve got twice as many durable medical equipment suppliers—selling wheelchairs and canes—as there are McDonald’s in South Florida. The owners often flee back to Cuba with the money the moment we move in on them.»
Last month, Fox News Digital uncovered the suspension of 447 hospices and 23 home health agencies suspected of fraud in Los Angeles alone, with the total theft estimated at more than $600 million.
Days later, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) referred 562,000 suspected fraudulent loans — totaling over $22.2 billion — to the U.S. Department of the Treasury for collection. These loans largely originated from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program.
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The SBA noted these files were flagged for suspected fraud during the Biden administration but were never sent to the Treasury Department for recovery.
«The task force has made clear that the Biden Administration’s policy of giving direct cash payments to fraudsters is over,» a senior White House official told Fox News Digital.
In April, the head of a California hospice advocacy group warned congressional lawmakers that industry fraud is flourishing across the state. Sheila Clark, president and CEO of the California Hospice and Palliative Care Association (CHAPCA), questioned how these «ghost» providers managed to evade regulators for so long.
«You’d be amazed at how many hospices… you can walk up to the door in California and there is nobody there. You can see five months’ worth of mail stacked up,» Clark told the House Ways and Means Committee during an April 22 hearing. «And yet, they passed a survey. How did that happen?»
«How do you put a hospice in a burrito stand? How do you put a hospice in a retail store?» she quipped. «That all had to be vetted through licensure, certification and accreditation.»
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California Attorney General Rob Bonta recently announced the arrest of five individuals linked to an alleged multi-million-dollar hospice scheme that reportedly raked in $267 million through fraudulent billing to Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program.
The Trump administration has intensified its focus on the abuse of taxpayer funds following last year’s arrests connected to the «Feeding Our Future» scheme in Minnesota—a massive «sham meal» operation that allegedly defrauded the government of hundreds of millions of dollars.
jd vance, politics, health care executive
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