By Amina Ismail and Layli Foroudi

AMSTERDAM, April 22 (Reuters) - Armed men burst into the apartment where student Mohamad lived with his Alawite family in the Syrian city of Jableh on March 7 last year and forced the 20-year-old and his father to lie face down as they pleaded for their lives.

The gunmen eventually left with cash and some belongings but the family moved out, Mohamad said, terrified by the ordeal and the wave of killings targeting fellow Alawites after the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad, who hails from the same minority sect.

Iranian forces targeted three container ships on Wednesday, seizing two, global security monitors and the country's Revolutionary Guards said, the latest incidents to threaten a crucial trade route in the Middle East war.

British maritime security agency UKMTO said an Iranian gunboat fired at a container ship off the coast of Oman on Wednesday, while a ship off Iran was also fired upon.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said separately that their naval forces stopped two ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz and directed them to Iranian waters.

By Steve Holland, Parisa Hafezi and Jonathan Allen

WASHINGTON/DUBAI, April 22 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he would indefinitely extend the ceasefire with Iran to allow for further peace talks, although it was not clear on Wednesday if Iran or Israel, the U.S. ally in the two-month war, would agree.

LONDON, April 22 (Reuters) - Military planners from more than 30 countries will hold two-day talks in London from Wednesday to advance a mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and draw up detailed plans, the British government said.

More than a dozen countries said last week they were willing to join an international mission, led by Britain and France, to protect ‌shipping in the Strait of Hormuz when conditions permit.

By Lucy Craymer

WELLINGTON, April 22 (Reuters) - Far-flung Pacific nations are reeling from the impact of a global fuel crisis as authorities scramble to manage energy supplies while families must grapple with fuel curbs and higher costs for food and access to healthcare.

Global oil supplies are running down as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran disrupts traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which typically carries about 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas flows.

The United States is looking to give former Afghan allies stuck in Qatar a choice between emigrating to the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo or returning to their Taliban-ruled homeland, an activist said Tuesday.

President Donald Trump's administration, which has made a sweeping crackdown on immigration a signature policy, had given a March 31 deadline to close a camp where more than 1,100 Afghans were staying at a former US base in Qatar.

April 22 (Reuters) - Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for accepting the country's request to extend the ceasefire in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran to allow ongoing diplomatic efforts to take their course.

"I sincerely hope that both sides will continue to observe the ceasefire and be able to conclude a comprehensive ‘Peace Deal’ during the second round of talks scheduled at Islamabad for a permanent end to the conflict," Sharif said in post on X.

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WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he was extending the Iran ceasefire until an Iranian proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward and Ismail Shakil; Editing by Caitlin Webber)

US defense companies are reporting a surge in demand for military equipment, as the war in the Middle East prompts fresh orders from governments around the world.

Earnings Tuesday signaled that 2026 will be another strong year after a robust 2025 in the wake of continuing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, Russian incursions into European airspace, Chinese maneuverings towards Taiwan and Red Sea tensions.

With his sensational statements on Truth Social and serial phone chats with individual journalists, President Donald Trump has only added to the confusion surrounding his plans for Iran in recent days.

The US president has been commenting on the conflict almost in real time in seemingly off-the-cuff exchanges with reporters, including from AFP, who call his cell phone.

Twice in recent days the White House has had to correct statements the 79-year-old billionaire made in the calls.