U.S. attacks Iranian-flagged ship as Tehran promises to respond

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship it said had tried to evade a naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, and Iran's joint military command vowed to respond, throwing a fragile ceasefire into question days before it expires.

It was the first interception since the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports 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 President Donald Trump 's earlier announcement on new talks with Iran now stood. He had said U.S. negotiators would head to Pakistan on Monday.

READ MORE: Iran closes Strait of Hormuz over U.S. blockade and fires on ships

The uncertainty sent oil prices rising again. One of the worst global energy crises in decades 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 "stopped 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 "seeing what's on board!"

It was not clear whether anyone was hurt. The U.S. Central Command, which didn't answer questions, said the destroyer had issued "repeated warnings over a six-hour period."

Iranian state media suggest the talks won't take place

There was no comment from Iranian officials on Trump's announcement of the talks.

However, Iranian state media, without citing anyone beyond unnamed sources, issued brief reports suggesting that talks would not happen.

Minutes after the ship seizure was announced, Iranian state media reported on Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's phone conversation with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier Sunday. Pezeshkian alleged bullying and unreasonable behavior by the United States, the reports said, and warned that U.S. actions have led to increased suspicion about the possibility that the U.S. will repeat previous patterns and "betray diplomacy."

Separately, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke by phone with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Pakistan did not confirm a second round of talks, but authorities began 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't authorized to discuss preparations with the media.

The White House said Vice President JD Vance, who led the first round 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's chief negotiator, parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, said in an interview aired on state television late Saturday that "there will be no retreat in the field of diplomacy," 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 Iran's nuclear enrichment program, its regional proxies and control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump's announcement on talks repeated his threats against Iranian infrastructure that have drawn widespread criticism and warnings of war crimes. 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," he wrote.

Iran says transits of the Strait of Hormuz are 'impossible'

Ships remained unable to transit the critical waterway amid threats from Iran and the U.S. blockade of ships heading to and from Iranian ports. Hundreds of vessels were waiting at each end for clearance.

One of the worst global energy crises in decades threatened to deepen. Roughly one-fifth of the world's oil trade normally passes through the strait, along with critical supplies of fertilizer for the world's farmers, natural gas and humanitarian supplies for places in dire need like Afghanistan and Sudan.

Iranian officials earlier on Sunday held firm that ships wouldn't pass while the U.S. blockade remained in effect. "It is impossible for others to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while we cannot," Qalibaf said.

Trump has accused Iran of violating the ceasefire by firing at ships transiting the strait. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei earlier Sunday called the U.S. blockade an "act of aggression."

Iran had announced the strait's reopening after a 10-day truce between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon took hold on Friday. But Iran then said it would continue enforcing its restrictions after Trump said the U.S. blockade "will remain in full force" until Tehran reaches a deal with the United States.

For the Islamic Republic, the strait's closure — imposed after the U.S. and Israel launched the Iran war on Feb. 28 during talks over Tehran's nuclear program — is perhaps its most powerful weapon, inflicting political pain on Trump. For the United States, the blockade squeezes Iran's already weakened economy by denying it long-term cash flow.

The war — now in its eighth week — has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,290 in Lebanon, 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.

Since most supplies to U.S. military bases in the Gulf region come through the strait, "Iran is determined to maintain oversight and control over traffic through the strait until the war fully ends," Iran's 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's de facto top decision-making body.

Samy Magy reported from Cairo, and Sam Metz from Ramallah, West Bank. Munir Ahmed contributed to this report from Islamabad.