U.S. Seizes Iranian-flagged Ship Near Strait Of Hormuz And Tehran Vows To Respond

WASHINGTON (AP) – The United States announced that it attacked an Iranian-flagged cargo ship and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that was trying to bypass the blockade. Strait of Hormuz On Sunday, the first response since the incident Blockade of Iranian ports It started last week.

Iran’s state television later said in a statement that Iran would respond soon, describing the boarding of the armed ship as an act of piracy.

The events made both of them question fragile truce And President Donald Trump He announced that US negotiators will go to Pakistan on Monday for a new round of negotiations with Iran. The ceasefire is scheduled to end on Wednesday, and Washington and Tehran’s dispute over the strait has now sharpened.

Trump said on social media that the US Navy guided missile destroyer Touska in the Gulf of Oman warned the ship to stop and then “blow a hole in the engine room, stopping them in their tracks.” US Marines were in custody of the US-approved ship and “they were seeing what was on board!”

It was unclear whether anyone was injured. US Central Command, which did not respond to questions, said the destroyer “issued repeated warnings over a six-hour period.”

There was no comment from Iranian officials regarding Trump’s announcement about the talks. But Iranian state media, without citing anyone other than unnamed sources, have published brief reports that these will not happen.

Minutes after the seizure of the ship was announced, Iranian state media reported President Massoud Pezeshkian’s phone call with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif early Sunday. US actions, including bullying and irrational behavior, have led to growing suspicions that the US will repeat previous patterns and “betray diplomacy,” Pezeshkian said in the reports.

Separately, Iranian state television said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Pakistani counterpart in a telephone conversation that the US’s recent actions, statements and contradictions were signs of “bad intentions and lack of seriousness in diplomacy”.

Pakistan did not approve the second round of talks, but authorities began to increase security in Islamabad. A regional official involved in the work said negotiators were about to complete preparations and US advanced security teams were on the field. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the preparations with the media.

The White House said Vice President J.D. Vance is overseeing the process. first round After historic 21-hour face-to-face talks last weekend, the US delegation will travel to Pakistan along with envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Iran said on Saturday it had received new offers from the United States. Iran’s chief negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said late Saturday that “there will be no retreat in the field of diplomacy” while acknowledging that a large gulf remains between the parties.

It was unclear whether either side had changed positions on the issues that derailed the last round of talks. Iran’s nuclear enrichment programregional proxies and the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump’s announcement of new negotiations echoed threats against Iran’s infrastructure that led to widespread criticism and warnings about war crimes. If Iran does not accept the deal proposed by the United States, “the United States will disable every Power Plant and every Bridge in Iran,” he wrote.

Ships could not pass critical waterway In a period of threats from Iran and the US blockade of ships going to and coming from Iranian ports. Hundreds of ships were waiting for cleaning at both ends.

Someone The worst global energy crises of recent years It threatened to deepen. Roughly one-fifth of world oil trade normally passes through the strait, along with critical oil supplies. fertilizer for world farmersNatural gas and humanitarian aid supplies to places in urgent need such as Afghanistan And Sudan.

Iran announced that the Strait will be reopened 10 day ceasefire Between Israel and Iran-backed countries Hezbollah militant group It was effective in Lebanon on Friday. But Trump later said the US blockade would “remain in full force” until Tehran reached an agreement with the US, and Iran said it would reimpose restrictions it imposed earlier in the war. On Saturday, Iran opened fire on ships trying to pass.

For Islamic RepublicClosing the Strait is perhaps his most powerful weapon and causes political pain to Trump. For the US, the blockade is squeezing Iran’s already weak economy. Both sides accused the other of violating the ceasefire.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said in a statement late on Saturday that “Iran is determined to keep the traffic in the strait under surveillance and control until the war is completely over” since most of the supplies supplied to US military bases in the Gulf region come through the strait. This means routes determined by Iran, payment of fees and issuance of transit certificates.

The council has recently acted as Iran’s de facto top decision-making body.

The war is in its eighth week since the United States and Israel began fighting on February 28 during talks over Tehran’s nuclear program. At least 3 thousand people were killed in Iran More than 2,290 in Lebanon23 of them are in Israel and more than a dozen Gulf Arab countries. 15 Israeli soldiers were killed in Lebanon and 13 US soldiers in the region.

Magy reported from Cairo and Metz from Ramallah on the West Bank. Munir Ahmed contributed to this report from Islamabad.