U.S.-Iran Naval Standoff Escalates with Ship Seizures and Trump’s ‘Shoot to Kill’ Order

The U.S.-Iran conflict has shifted from a cycle of air strikes to a naval stalemate, marked by piracy, ship seizures, and saber-rattling. The two-week ceasefire between the two nations, originally set to expire on Wednesday, has been extended indefinitely, halting direct hostilities for now. However, neither side has resumed face-to-face negotiations.

In the absence of direct confrontation, both countries have turned to harassing shipping in the region. On Thursday, the U.S. Department of War released footage of Marines boarding a tanker in the Indian Ocean, alleging it was transporting Iranian oil. The operation, conducted in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility, involved the interdiction and boarding of the stateless vessel M/T Majestic X, which was transporting sanctioned Iranian oil.

We will continue global maritime enforcement to… pic.twitter.com/SWF6Jt9Ci4 — Department of War (@DeptofWar) April 23, 2026

U.S. Central Command claims to have redirected 33 ships during its blockade of Iranian coastal waters.

Iran, in turn, released footage showing a swarm of small boats seizing two tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. This tactic highlights the ongoing threat posed by Iran’s fast boats, despite U.S. claims of disabling its naval capabilities. The seizures also threaten to disrupt oil export routes in the region.

Iran's use of a swarm of small, fast boats to seize two container ships near the Strait of Hormuz could undermine suggestions that US forces have disabled its naval threat and reveals the challenges facing reopening the oil export route https://t.co/uqyZNLjzU4 pic.twitter.com/CjD9x4dhmi — Reuters (@Reuters) April 23, 2026

Iran reportedly attacked a third ship but did not capture it.

In response, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he had ordered the U.S. Navy to shoot and kill any small boats suspected of laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Trump stated he was in no rush to end the conflict and would pursue the best possible deal.

California’s Masked Police Ban Blocked by Federal Court

A recent ruling by a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel has blocked California from enforcing its No Vigilantes Act, a law requiring nonuniformed police—both state and federal—to display identification. The unanimous three-judge panel issued a preliminary injunction, with Judge Mark Bennett writing in the opinion that the law violates the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.

While not all state regulations that touch on federal activity are per se unconstitutional, the U.S Constitution's Supremacy Clause does bar direct state regulation of the federal government, wrote Judge Mark Bennett. And that is precisely what the No Vigilantes Act does.

The No Vigilantes Act was passed in September 2025 in response to the Trump administration’s deployment of masked federal immigration enforcement agents to California’s cities. A related law, the No Secret Police Act, passed simultaneously, prohibited federal agents from covering their faces in public. In December 2025, the Trump administration sued to block enforcement of both laws, arguing that the U.S.