- Iran says it will respond to “armed piracy.”
- IRNA says Iran rejects talks, citing US blockade.
- Islamabad is preparing for the second round of negotiations.
Concerns grew Monday that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran might not be respected after the United States said it seized an Iranian cargo ship that was trying to enforce its blockade and Iran vowed to retaliate.
Efforts to build a more lasting peace in the region also appear on shaky ground, with Iran saying it would not participate in the second round of negotiations the United States hoped to launch before the ceasefire expires on Tuesday.
The United States has maintained a blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran lifted and then reimposed its own blockade on maritime traffic passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which typically handles about a fifth of the world’s oil supply.
The U.S. military said Sunday it fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship as the vessel headed toward the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. “We have full custody of their ship and let’s see what’s on board!” »Wrote President Trump on social media.
The Iranian military said the ship came from China. “We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon react and retaliate against this armed piracy of the US military,” a military spokesperson said, according to state media.
Oil prices surged and stock markets wobbled, as traders pondered the prospect that traffic in and out of the Gulf would remain at a bare minimum.
Iran rejects peace talks
Iranian state media reported that Tehran had rejected further peace talks, citing the ongoing blockade, threatening rhetoric, as well as Washington’s shifting positions and “excessive demands.”
“We cannot restrict Iranian oil exports while hoping for free security for others,” Iranian First Vice President Mohammadreza Aref wrote on social media. “The choice is clear: either a free oil market for all, or the risk of significant costs for everyone.”
Trump previously warned Iran that the United States would destroy all of the country’s bridges and power plants if Tehran rejected its terms, continuing a recent series of such threats.
Iran has said that if the United States attacks its civilian infrastructure, it will hit the power plants and desalination plants of its Gulf Arab neighbors.
Prepare for discussions that might not happen
Trump said his envoys would arrive in Islamabad Monday evening, a day before the end of a two-week ceasefire.
A White House official said Reuters The US delegation would be led by Vice President JD Vance, who led the war’s first peace talks a week ago, and would also include Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. But Trump said ABC News And MS now that Vance wouldn’t go.
Pakistan, which served as lead mediator, appears to be preparing for the talks. Two giant American C-17 cargo planes landed at an airbase on Sunday afternoon, carrying security equipment and vehicles in anticipation of the arrival of the American delegation, two Pakistani security sources said.
Municipal authorities in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad have halted public transport and heavy goods vehicle traffic in the city. Barbed wire was deployed near the Serena Hotel, where last week’s talks were held. The hotel told all guests to leave.
Now in its eighth week, the war has created the most severe shock to global energy supplies in history, driving up oil prices due to the de facto closure of the strait.
Thousands of people have been killed by US-Israeli strikes against Iran and during the parallel Israeli invasion of Lebanon since the war began on February 28. Iran has responded to attacks with missiles and drones against Israel and neighboring Arab countries that host U.S. bases.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who led the Iranian side in the negotiations, said earlier that the two sides had made progress but were still far apart on nuclear issues and the Strait.
European allies, repeatedly criticized by Trump for failing to help his war effort, fear that Washington’s negotiating team will push for a quick, superficial deal that would require months, if not years, of technically complex follow-up negotiations.
