President Donald Trump said the U.S. forcibly seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that tried to get around a naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, the first such interception since the blockade of Iranian ports began last week.
Trump on social media said the ship was warned by a U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer in the Gulf of Oman to stop, but it did not. He said the Navy “stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom” and that U.S. marines had custody of the vessel, named Touska, and were “seeing what’s on board!”
There was no immediate Iran comment. The news threw into question Trump’s earlier announcement that U.S. negotiators would head to Pakistan on Monday for another round of talks with Iran.
That had raised hopes of extending a fragile ceasefire set to expire by Wednesday, even as Washington and Tehran remain in a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.
A White House official speaking on background told CBC News that U.S. Vice-President JD Vance and envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would be leading the U.S. delegation in Islamabad.
WATCH | Iran reimposes blockade:
Iran reimposes restrictions on Strait of Hormuz
The standoff over the Strait of Hormuz escalated again on Saturday as Iran reversed its reopening of the crucial waterway.
Iran has not confirmed it would attend. While its chief negotiator, parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, said in an interview aired on state television late Saturday that “there will be no retreat in the field of diplomacy,” he acknowledged a wide gap remained between the sides.
Host Pakistan also did not confirm a second round, but authorities began tightening security in Islamabad. A regional official involved in the efforts said mediators were finalizing preparations and U.S. advance security teams were on the ground. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss preparations with the media.
Talks in Islamabad — the first direct negotiations between the United States and Iran in decades — ended with no agreement last week but preparations appeared to be underway for a resumption, ahead of the expected end to the ceasefire on Wednesday.
Iran’s top negotiator said recent talks with the U.S. had made progress, while Trump cited “very good conversations” with Tehran.
Strait of Hormuz shut again
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz was at a standstill on Sunday after Iran reasserted control over the strategic waterway that is key to global energy supply.
On Saturday, Iran, which had earlier announced it would allow shipping to pass through Hormuz, reversed course, accusing Washington of violating a ceasefire agreement by maintaining its own blockade of Iranian ports.
After two Indian-registered ships reported being attacked on Saturday while trying to pass through the strait, shipping data showed traffic through the narrow waterway had come to a stop early on Sunday.
One China-owned tanker and an Indian-owned gas carrier were seen transiting eastbound early on Sunday morning. But they appear to have been turned back and no other vessels entered or left the Gulf after midnight GMT, according to MarineTraffic vessel-tracking data.
Now in its eighth week, the war has created the most severe shock to global energy supplies in history, sending oil prices surging because of the de facto closure of the strait, which before the war carried one-fifth of the world’s oil shipments.
Meanwhile uncertainty surrounded Pakistani-brokered efforts to end the conflict, which has killed thousands since it began on February 28 with a wave of U.S. and Israeli airstrikes against Iran and which has spread to Lebanon.
Iran, Trump cite progress in talks
Pressure for a way out of the war has mounted on Trump as his fellow Republicans prepare to defend narrow majorities in Congress in the November midterm elections, with U.S. gasoline prices high, inflation rising and his own approval ratings down.
Trump, who met senior national security aides at the White House on Saturday, said the U.S. was having “very good conversations,” but gave no other details. He later went to the Trump National Golf Club with top envoy Steve Witkoff, one of his Iran negotiators.
Iran chief negotiator Qalibaf told state media that the talks in Islamabad had made progress, but he added, “There is still a big distance between us.
WATCH | Why can’t the U.S. and Iran reach a peace deal?:
Why the U.S. and Iran can’t reach a peace deal | About That
Andrew Chang explains what’s keeping the U.S. and Iran from reaching a peace agreement following six weeks of ongoing war and a recent marathon negotiating session in Pakistan.
Images provided by The Canadian Press, Reuters, Adobe Stock and Getty Images
“There are some issues on which we insist…. They also have red lines. But these issues could be just one or two.”
On Friday, Iran had announced the temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz following a separate U.S.-brokered 10-day ceasefire agreement on Thursday between Israel and Lebanon to end fighting between Israeli forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah.
But it changed course on Saturday, after accusing the U.S. of violating the ceasefire through a blockade on Iranian ports.
A statement from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Iran’s navy was ready to inflict “new bitter defeats” on its enemies.
Trump, who called the Iranian move “blackmail,” defended the U.S. blockade and threatened “to start dropping bombs again” unless the countries reached a long-term deal before the ceasefire expires on Wednesday.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said Tehran’s control over the strait included demanding the payment of costs related to security, safety and environmental protection services, state media said.
Vessels report gunfire
Following Iran’s reimposition of control on Saturday, at least two vessels reported being attacked while trying to transit the waterway. India summoned the Iranian ambassador in New Delhi and expressed deep concern that two Indian-flagged ships had come under fire in the strait, the government said.
U.S. Central Command said American forces were enforcing a maritime blockade of Iran but did not comment on the latest Iranian actions.
Tehran’s reversal raised the risk that oil and gas shipments through the strait could remain disrupted just as Trump weighs whether to extend the ceasefire.
When American and Iranian negotiators met last weekend in Islamabad, the U.S. proposed a 20-year suspension of all Iranian nuclear activity, while Iran suggested a halt of three to five years, according to people familiar with the proposals.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said no date had been set for the next round of negotiations, adding that a framework of understanding must be agreed first.
