Iran vows swift response to US attack on cargo ship

Iran’s top associated subject ‌command, Khatam al-Anbiya, has accused the ‌US of violating a ‌ceasefire by firing astatine 1 of Iran’s commercialized ships successful the Gulf ‌of ‌Oman, vowing ⁠to retaliate.

State media ​quoted a Khatam al-Anbiya spokesperson arsenic saying the ⁠vessel ‌was en ​route from China ​to Iran.

“We ‌warn that the ​armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran ​will ​soon ​respond and retaliate ‌against this equipped piracy by the US military,” the spokesperson said aboriginal connected Monday.

Earlier, President Donald Trump said the United States had forcibly seized an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel that tried to get astir a naval blockade adjacent the Strait of Hormuz.

He said a US navy guided rocket destroyer successful the Gulf of Oman stopped the Iranian vessel by blowing ‌a spread successful its motor room.

“We person afloat custody of their ship, and are seeing what’s connected board!” Trump wrote connected κοινωνικά media.

The US Central Command said the destroyer had issued repeated warnings implicit a six-hour period.

The quality of the onslaught connected an Iranian-flagged vessel threw into question Trump’s earlier announcement that US negotiators would caput to Pakistan connected Monday for different circular of talks with Iran.

That had raised hopes of extending a fragile ceasefire acceptable to expire by Wednesday, though an Iranian state quality bureau reported Iranian officials did not program to take portion successful the talks.

“Iran stated that its lack from the 2nd circular of talks stems from what it called ‌Washington’s excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, changeless shifts successful stance, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade, which it considers a breach of the ceasefire,” Iran’s authoritative IRNA quality bureau said.

Minutes aft the vessel seizure was announced, Iranian state media reported connected President Masoud Pezeshkian’s telephone speech with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif connected Sunday.

US actions including bullying and unreasonable behaviour, person led to accrued suspicion the US will repetition erstwhile patterns and “betray diplomacy”, the reports cited Pezeshkian arsenic saying.

Sharif’s bureau said Pezeshkian had thanked Pakistan for its mediation efforts, successful ‌a readout of the telephone that ​made nary notation of Iran rejecting the adjacent circular of talks.

Separately, Iran’s state broadcaster said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Pakistani counterpart connected a telephone telephone that caller US actions, rhetoric and contradictions were signs of “bad intentions and deficiency of seriousness successful diplomacy”.

The United States has kept a blockade of Iranian ports successful place, while Iran has lifted and then reimposed its ain blockade of marine traffic done the Strait of Hormuz, which earlier the war began astir two months agone handled astir one-fifth of the world’s lipid supply.

Iran’s announcement that it would walk distant from negotiations came aft Trump said his envoys would get successful Islamabad connected Monday evening, 1 time earlier a two-week ceasefire ends.

A White House authoritative had said the US delegation would beryllium headed by Vice President JD Vance, who led the war’s ‌first bid talks a week ago, ‌and besides see Trump’s envoy Steve ⁠Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The evident diplomatic setback could acceptable the ​stage for a renewed surge successful lipid prices when markets reopen aft the weekend.

Now successful its eighth week, the war has created the astir terrible daze to planetary vigor supplies successful history, sending lipid prices surging due to the fact that of the de facto closure of the strait.

Iran’s main negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, earlier said the two sides had made advancement but were still acold isolated connected atomic issues and the Strait of Hormuz.

Two elephantine US C-17 cargo planes landed astatine Pakistan’s Nur Khan aerial basal connected Sunday day ​carrying information ​equipment and vehicles successful mentation for the US delegation’s arrival, two Pakistani information sources said.

City authorities successful the superior ​Islamabad halted nationalist transport and dense goods traffic done the city.

Rolls of barbed wire were rolled retired adjacent the Serena Hotel ‌where past week’s talks were held and the edifice told each guests connected Sunday to leave.

Source: Reuters with AP