Ship runs aground in Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state TV reports
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A ship ran aground Strait of Hormuz State television in Tehran reported on Wednesday that Iran was using a route it had not approved. The report stated that the affected ship was a foreign container ship, but no other detailed information was given.
The report appeared aimed at highlighting Tehran’s claim to control the strait, long recognized by the world as an international waterway through which one-fifth of peacetime oil and natural gas passes.
Since the start of the war, Iran has used its ability to block the narrow waterway as a major source of leverage, disrupting global markets for energy and other critical goods.
The report came as follows US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared KushnerUS President Donald Trump’s son-in-law was in Doha, Qatar, for talks on permanently ending the Iran war.
Technical talks between diplomats began in Qatar on Wednesday, two regional officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks. In these discussions, negotiators appear to be aiming to hammer out details that would pave the way for senior leaders to sign an agreement, despite differences over the strait and the strait. Lebanon It still looks big.
Iran did not immediately acknowledge the start of negotiations.
Strait of Hormuz key point of negotiations
Iran and the USA reached an agreement as part of an interim agreement Despite the agreement allowing ships to pass free for 60 days, Tehran has insisted that ships check their routes and then charge a fee for passage, upending decades of practice in the waterway. USA and many Gulf Arab countries They say they will not accept the accusations. An effort by Oman and a UN agency to launch a new route near the Omani coast led to attacks in the Middle East last weekend, underscoring the tensions still gripping the Middle East.
Iranian state television said the ship “ran aground with its cargo due to the shallow waters on the route it chose and was unable to continue sailing.” He said sailors should follow the instructions of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in the strait.
The Guard’s navy “has repeatedly warned captains, shipowners and officials of shipping companies around the world that any entry or exit through routes other than the ‘Authority Route’ in the Persian Gulf could lead to irreparable events,” the Guard’s navy said. The report does not mention the two ships that Iran attacked in recent days for daring to pass through the strait without Tehran’s permission; one of them was carrying crude oil from Qatar.
US negotiators are in Qatar, Iranians are also expected
Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Qatar on Tuesday ahead of Qatar’s mediation talks. Although Iran has insisted it plans no meetings with the Americans, their comments left open the possibility of so-called “indirect talks” in which the two countries would relay messages through Qatari officials. This happened many times during negotiations under the second Trump administration.
Qatar acknowledged a meeting took place early Wednesday morning between the Americans and its foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. A statement from Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the men talked about “the interim agreement as well as efforts aimed at promoting security and stability in the region through dialogue and diplomacy.” Lebanon, another key point of the final agreement, was also discussed, with Iran insisting on an end to all fighting between the Iranian-backed militia group Hezbollah and Israeli military forces.
Iran also called on Israel to give up the territory it occupied in southern Lebanon. Israel insists it should keep the territory and be free to attack Hezbollah, which has launched attacks on northern Israel.
Iran did not immediately agree to any talks on Wednesday. However, one of the key negotiators, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, said in a statement to Iranian state television throughout the night that efforts to end the war permanently were continuing.
“We are engaging in dialogue, but if they refuse to implement what has been decided through dialogue, we are ready for war,” Kalibaf said.
More ships leaving the Strait of Hormuz
While ship traffic in the Bosphorus has decreased following the attacks this weekend, more countries say their ships are leaving.
Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday that 10 of 11 ships flying Thai flags or chartered by Thai operators left the Strait of Hormuz safely. South Korean officials said all but two of the 26 ships stranded in the country had left safely.
Iraq shot down unmanned aerial vehicle over Baghdad
Also Wednesday, Iraqi authorities shot down a small drone over Baghdad’s heavily guarded Green Zone, where many embassies and government buildings are located, two Iraqi security officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. One of the officials said the drone was unarmed and was probably used for surveillance purposes. Neither group immediately claimed the drone as their own.
After the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran in late February, Iranian-backed Iraqi militias launched frequent attacks on US military and diplomatic facilities in Iraq. The drone downed on Wednesday night was the first security incident in Baghdad since the United States and Iran agreed on a ceasefire.
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Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, Samy Magdy in Cairo, Najib Jobain in Doha, Qatar, Jintamas Saksornchai in Bangkok, Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad and Tong-hyung Kim in Seoul, South Korea contributed to this report.
