Iran rejects renewed peace talks as US seizes cargo vessel

Ceasefire threatens to collapse after American forces captured Iranian ship and Tehran cites excessive demands and naval blockade.

Iran said it would not participate in a second round of negotiations with the United States after American forces seized an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel near the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to unravel a fragile ceasefire set to expire on Wednesday⁵⁶⁷.

US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that his envoys would arrive in Pakistan on Monday evening for talks, warning that if Iran did not accept his terms, the United States would "knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran"⁵⁶⁷. Trump accused Iran of a "total violation" of the ceasefire after Iranian forces fired on ships attempting to transit the strait on Saturday⁵⁶⁷.

Iran's state news agency IRNA reported that Tehran had rejected the talks, citing "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"⁹¹¹. A White House official said the US delegation would be headed by Vice President JD Vance, with Trump's envoy Steven Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner⁹¹¹.

The US military said it fired on the Iranian cargo ship Touska in the Gulf of Oman on Sunday after the vessel refused orders to stop during a six-hour standoff¹⁰¹⁵²⁰. US Central Command said marines rappelled from helicopters onto the vessel after disabling its engines²². Iran's military said the ship had been travelling from China and warned that Iranian armed forces would "soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy"⁶¹⁵²².

The Strait of Hormuz, which typically handles about one-fifth of the world's oil supply, remained effectively closed on Monday⁸¹⁶²². Iran had announced on Friday that the strait would reopen for commercial vessels during a 10-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon²³, but reversed that decision on Saturday after Trump refused to halt the US blockade of Iranian ports⁶⁷²³.

At least two ships reported being fired upon while approaching the strait on Saturday, and shipping data showed no movement through the waterway after midnight on Sunday⁶⁸. Oil prices rose more than 5 percent on Monday following the renewed tensions¹⁶²².

Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the two sides remained far apart on nuclear issues and control of the Strait of Hormuz⁸. The war, which began on 28 February with US and Israeli airstrikes against Iran, has killed thousands and created what sources described as the most severe shock to global energy supplies in history¹⁸²².