US forces have fired at and seized an Iranian-flagged ship in the Gulf of Oman that was attempting to evade a US maritime blockade, President Donald Trump and the Pentagon said on April 19, while Iran’s military command angrily threatened to retaliate.
Meanwhile, uncertainty reigns over a potential second round of Pakistani-hosted face-to-face talks between US and Iranian delegations in Islamabad after Iranian state media said Tehran would not be sending its team for an April 20 session.
It all comes as a 10-day cease-fire agreed to by Washington and Tehran nears its expiration date of April 22 and as Trump threatens new attacks on “every single” Iranian power plant and bridge.
Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported that Tehran has rejected a new round of peace talks, hours after Trump said his representatives would arrive in Islamabad on April 20 for Pakistani-mediated negotiations.
“Iran stated that its absence from the second round of talks stems from what it called Washington’s excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade, which it considers a breach of the ceasefire,” IRNA wrote.
There has not been an official statement from the Iranian government.
Tehran’s top negotiator, parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, has issued statements indicating both “progress” and remaining “big differences” regarding the talks and hasn’t commented directly on the April 20 date.
Uncertainty also surrounds the makeup of the US delegation. The White House said Vice President JD Vance would lead the fresh round of talks, along with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
However, Trump told both ABC News and MS Now that Vance would not go, citing security concerns.
“It’s only because of security,” Trump told ABC News. “JD’s great.”
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on April 19 reaffirmed his willingness to host the next round of talks.
“Pakistan remains fully committed to its role as an honest and sincere facilitator of lasting peace and regional stability,” he said.
‘Blowing A Hole’ In Iranian Ship
Meanwhile, in the waterways around Iran, tensions rose even further after US forces fired upon and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that attempted to evade a US maritime blockade.
The blockade itself is one of the stumbling blocks to further talks, at least as far as Iran is concerned. Tehran has said it won’t participate in talks as long as the blockade is in effect, while Trump has said it won’t be lifted until a peace deal is signed.
Trump posted on Truth Social that after the Iranian vessel, Touska, ignored warnings to stop, USS Spruance guided missile destroyer “stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room.”
The ship “tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them.”
“Right now, US Marines have custody of the vessel…and are seeing what’s on board!” Trump wrote.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that “US forces operating in the Arabian Sea enforced naval blockade measures against an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel attempting to sail toward an Iranian port.”
“American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the US blockade,” it added in a post that included video purporting to show the action.
Iran’s joint military command claimed that the firing violated the cease-fire and threatened to respond and retaliate “soon” against the “armed piracy,” according to state media.
It said the ship was headed from China to Iran when it was struck and claimed that Iranian forces attacked a number of US military vessels with drones. That could not be independently verified.
Earlier in the week, there were hopes that the Strait of Hormuz, which usually accounts for around one fifth of the global oil trade, would open up after a more than a month of being closed as Tehran announced that it was open to commercial shipping traffic.
However, Iranian forces fired upon at least three civilian ships, two of which reportedly were Indian and one French-flagged vessel, and announced the reclosing of the strait.
