Iran Fires on Three Ships in the Strait of Hormuz and Seizes Two of Them

What Happened?

Despite President Trump’s announcement of an extended ceasefire with Iran, yesterday, Iranian forces fired on three commercial ships attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) took two of those vessels into custody and has not said when or if those ships will be released. An IRGC spokesman said one of the ships in custody was linked to Israel.

The third ship fired on by the IRGC was reportedly stranded along the coast of Iran after being damaged. The whereabouts or status of its crew remains uncertain. 

Why it Matters

The attacks by the IRGC on commercial ships in the Persian Gulf threaten to derail a second round of peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, between the U.S. and Iran. There have been conflicting messages from Iran on whether or not they will attend those talks, suggesting there could be an ongoing struggle for power within the Iranian government.

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance was set to return to Islamabad for a second round of talks with Iran, but it remains unclear if Iran will participate in those talks…

A janitor died with $8 million in stock. He bought early

Ronald Read was a janitor in Vermont.

He pumped gas. He swept floors. And he wore flannel held together with safety pins.

When he died in 2014, his estate was worth $8 million.

Nobody could believe it.

No inheritance. No lottery. No crypto.

He just bought stocks early — before they were obvious — and held.

That's it. That's the whole secret.

The stocks he bought were boring when he bought them. They only looked genius in hindsight.

Right now, there's a company with $115M in revenue that most people have never heard of.

490 million users. Profitable. Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company. Nasdaq ticker reserved.

Shares are $0.50.

You don't need to be a genius. You don't need to be rich.

You need to see it before the crowd and have the guts to act.

Ronald Read had that. 59,000 investors in this deal have it too.

Up to 20% bonus shares.

The janitor's secret wasn't stock picking. It was timing and conviction.*

Here's the link. You know what to do. 

Yesterday, President Trump posted a comment on social media saying that Iran was in desperate financial condition and wanted the Strait of Hormuz open to gain access to badly needed revenue. While all indications support the claim that Iran’s economy has been harmed by the war, the IRGC has its own money stream and may prioritize a demonstration of power in the Persian Gulf over short-term financial gain. 

The U.S. has stopped and taken control of at least one ship, and Iran has now stopped three. The combined effect of those actions has convinced most commercial ships the Strait of Hormuz is not safe for transit, and the total volume of shipping passing through remains far below pre-war levels. Oil prices have been on a roller coaster ride since the war between the U.S. and Iran began, and that volatility is likely to continue until there is a permanent end to the conflict.

With increasing naval action near the Persian Gulf by both Iranian and American forces, the chances of the conflict reigniting are real. U.S. intelligence assessments indicate that Iran still has a significant stockpile of missiles and drones, and if the war does resume, the second round would likely resemble the first, with both sides firing missiles and drones at each other in large numbers.

How it Affects You

Whether there has been regime change in Iran remains an open question, but even if there has, the new Iranian regime is behaving much like the old one did. Without a permanent peace agreement, the struggle to control the Strait of Hormuz could continue for weeks or months.

Because the coast of Iran runs along with the eastern side of the Persian Gulf, geography makes it easy for Iran to exert influence over nearby waterways such as the Strait of Hormuz. 

*Disclaimer: Please read the offering circular and related risks at invest.modemobile.com. This is a paid advertisement for Mode Mobile’s Regulation A+ Offering.

Mode Mobile recently received their ticker reservation with Nasdaq ($MODE), indicating an intent to IPO in the next 24 months. An intent to IPO is no guarantee that an actual IPO will occur.

The Deloitte rankings are based on submitted applications and public company database research, with winners selected based on their fiscal-year revenue growth percentage over a three-year period.

Pro forma revenue and EBITDA, includes full year numbers of the businesses acquired throughout 2025.

Mode cumulative revenue includes full year revenue of businesses acquired in 2025.