WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� The United States attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship it said had tried to evade its naval blockade near the on Sunday, and Iran’s joint military command vowed to respond, throwing a into question days before it expires.
It was the first interception since the U.S. began last week. Iran’s joint military command called the armed boarding an act of piracy and a ceasefire violation, the state broadcaster said.
With the U.S.-Iran standoff over the strait sharpening and the ceasefire expiring by Wednesday, it was not clear where 鈥檚 earlier announcement on new talks with Iran now stood. He had said U.S. negotiators would head to Pakistan on Monday.
The uncertainty sent . One of the threatened to deepen.
Trump on social media said a U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer in the Gulf of Oman warned the Iranian-flagged ship, the Touska, to stop and then 鈥渟topped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom.” U.S. Marines had custody of the U.S.-sanctioned vessel and were 鈥渟eeing what鈥檚 on board!鈥�
It was not clear whether anyone was hurt. The U.S. Central Command, which didn’t answer questions, said the destroyer had issued 鈥渞epeated warnings over a six-hour period.鈥�
Iranian state media suggest new talks won’t take place
There was no comment from Iranian officials directly addressing Trump’s announcement of talks. However, Iranian state media, without citing anyone beyond unnamed sources, issued brief reports suggesting that they would not happen.
Minutes after the ship seizure was announced, Iranian state media reported on President Masoud Pezeshkian鈥檚 phone conversation with Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, earlier Sunday. U.S. actions, including bullying and unreasonable behavior, have led to increased suspicion that the U.S. will repeat previous patterns and 鈥渂etray diplomacy,” the reports cited Pezeshkian as saying.
Two previous attempts at talks 鈥� last June and earlier this year 鈥� were interrupted by Israeli and U.S. attacks.
On another phone call, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, that recent U.S. actions, rhetoric and contradictions were signs of 鈥渂ad intentions and lack of seriousness in diplomacy,” Iran鈥檚 state broadcaster said.
Pakistan did not confirm a second round of talks, but authorities had begun 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鈥檛 authorized to discuss preparations with the media.
The White House had said Vice President JD Vance, who led the of historic face-to-face talks over 21 hours last weekend, would lead the U.S. delegation to Pakistan with envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Iran on Saturday said it had received new proposals from the United States. While Iran鈥檚 chief negotiator, parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, late Saturday said 鈥渢here will be no retreat in the field of diplomacy,鈥� he acknowledged a wide gap remained between the sides.
It was unclear whether either side had shifted stances on issues that derailed the last round of negotiations, including , its regional proxies and the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump’s announcement on talks repeated his threats against Iranian infrastructure that have drawn widespread criticism and . If Iran doesn’t agree to the U.S.-proposed deal, “the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,鈥� he wrote.
Iran wants to control strait until 鈥榳ar fully ends鈥�
Iran early Monday warned it could keep up the global economic pain as ships remained unable to transit , with hundreds of vessels waiting at each end for clearance.
Security of the strait is not free and 鈥渢he choice is clear: either a free oil market for all, or the risk of significant costs for everyone,鈥� Mohammad Reza Aref, first vice president of Iran, said in a social media post calling for a lasting end to military and economic pressure on Tehran.
Roughly one-fifth of the world鈥檚 oil trade normally passes through the strait, along with critical supplies of , natural gas and humanitarian supplies for places in dire need like and .
Iran had announced the strait鈥檚 reopening after a between Israel and the Iranian-backed in Lebanon took hold on Friday. But then Trump said the U.S. blockade 鈥渨ill remain in full force鈥� until Tehran reaches a deal with the United States. Iran said it would again enforce restrictions it imposed early in the war. On Saturday, Iran fired at ships trying to transit.
For , the strait鈥檚 closure is perhaps its most powerful weapon, inflicting political pain on Trump. For the United States, the blockade squeezes Iran鈥檚 already weakened economy. Each side has accused the other of violating the ceasefire.
Since most supplies to U.S. military bases in the Gulf region come through the strait, 鈥淚ran is determined to maintain oversight and control over traffic through the strait until the war fully ends,鈥� Iran鈥檚 Supreme National Security Council said late Saturday. That means Iran-designated routes, payment of fees and issuance of transit certificates.
The council has recently acted as Iran鈥檚 de facto top decision-making body.
The war is now in its eighth week after the U.S. and Israel launched it on Feb. 28 during talks over Tehran鈥檚 nuclear program. At least 3,000 people have been killed in Iran, , 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 U.S. service members throughout the region have been killed.
___ Magy reported from Cairo and Metz from Ramallah, West Bank. Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.
___
An earlier version of this story corrected the name of the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson to Esmail Baghaei.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
