Investing.com -- U.S. President Donald Trump announced Sunday afternoon that a U.S. warship fired at an Iranian cargo ship after the ship tried to get past a U.S. Navy blockade and now has custody of the vessel.
"Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them," Trump stated. "The U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer USS SPRUANCE intercepted the TOUSKA in the Gulf of Oman, and gave them fair warning to stop. The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom."
The president said U.S. Marines now have custody of the vessel, which is under U.S. sanctions because of prior illegal activity.
Iran rejects second round of talks, suspects possible U.S. attack - report
Iran has rejected participation in a second round of talks with the United States, citing what it described as Washington’s “excessive demands” and shifting positions, state news agency IRNA reported.
Tehran said its decision was driven by “unrealistic expectations,” “constant shifts in stance,” and “repeated contradictions” from the U.S., as well as the ongoing naval blockade, which it considers a violation of the ceasefire. Axios reporter Barak Ravid added that Iran suspects U.S. is preparing a surprise attack.
Get all market moving headlines on Iran by subscribing to InvestingPro -- up to 50% off now
Earlier today, Trump accused Iran of violating a ceasefire after gunfire incidents in the Strait of Hormuz and warned of possible military action if talks fail.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Iranian forces had fired at vessels, including a French ship and a U.K.-linked freighter, calling it “a total violation” of the agreement. He added that Washington was offering a “very fair and reasonable deal” but warned that if Iran did not accept, the United States could target key infrastructure.
Trump also said a U.S. delegation would travel to Islamabad for negotiations, with Vice President JD Vance expected to lead the talks, according to Ravid, citing a senior U.S. official.
Trump’s comments come after Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, told reporters on Saturday that there was no set date for the next round of negotiations between his country and the United States. He cautioned that the two sides must first agree on a framework of understanding before talks resume.
Speaking on the sidelines of a diplomacy forum in Antalya, Turkey, Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters two sides are "now focusing on finalising ?the framework of understanding between the two sides. We don’t want to enter into any ?negotiation or meeting which is doomed to fail and which can be a pretext ?for another round of escalation."
"Until we agree the framework, we cannot set the date... There ?was significant progress made, actually. But then the maximalist approach by the other side, ?trying to make Iran an exception from international law, prevented us to reach an agreement," he said, alluding to U.S. demands that Iran abandons its nuclear programme.
"I have to be very crystal clear that Iran would not accept to be an exception from the international law. Anything that we are going to be committed will be within the international regulations and international law."
Trump described as a "creative negotiator"
U.S. energy secretary Chris Wright said the United States is “not too far away from a deal” with Iran, signaling optimism even as tensions remain elevated.
Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Wright said negotiations with Tehran were ongoing and progressing better than public messaging might suggest. “There are negotiations with the Iranians going on, despite what you hear in the chatter in public, I think those are actually going well,” he said.
Wright described Donald Trump as “a creative negotiator” who applies pressure and uncertainty as part of his strategy.
“I think we’ll have a nice end of this conflict,” Wright said, adding that the resumption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would take some time, “but probably not too much time” once the passage is reopened.
Ceasefire remains in force over the weekend
As the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is tested over the weekend, new reports from the Wall Street Journal suggest the U.S. military is prepared to board and seize Iran-linked oil tankers in international waters, citing U.S. officials.
The development comes after Iran attacked several commercial vessels on Saturday and declared the Strait of Hormuz is under its control. This followed news on Friday from Iran’s foreign minister that the critical waterway was open, which triggered a massive rally on Wall Street and a steep sell-off in oil.
Factions in Iran stated that the U.S. broke the agreement as it continued its own blockade with U.S. warships, stepping up economic pressure on the battered regime.
