US-Iran ceasefire in doubt as Iran threatens response to US Navy ship seizure
Iran’s military said Tehran would respond soon, calling the ship seizure an act of piracy
Tensions between the United States and Iran are escalating after the U.S. Navy seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz, prompting Tehran to warn of a response and casting fresh doubt over efforts to extend a fragile ceasefire. The situation has further clouded diplomatic prospects, with Iranian state media reporting that Tehran is not currently planning to attend talks, despite President Donald Trump saying U.S. negotiators would head to Pakistan days before the ceasefire expires. Follow our live blog for the latest developments:
Iran executed two men on Monday convicted of having links to Israel's spy agency, the judiciary said, the latest in a string of executions since the outbreak of war with Israel and the United States.
"The death sentences of Mohammad Masoom-shahi and Hamed Validi were carried out at dawn today," the judiciary's Mizan Online website reported.
It said the two men were "members of a spy network linked to Mossad", Israel's intelligence agency, but did not say when they were arrested.
They were convicted of the capital offence of "moharebeh", meaning waging war against God, as well as "collaboration with hostile groups and the Zionist regime", Mizan said.
More than a million students have been allowed to return to all educational institutions in the UAE from today after weeks of distance learning due to geopolitical tensions that ensued the US-Israel-Iran war.
US forces operating in the Arabian Sea enforce naval blockade measures against an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel attempting to sail toward an Iranian port on April 19.
Over a feverish few days of diplomacy, Pakistan's military and civilian politicians successfully divided the Middle East between them to push for a second round of US-Iran peace talks expected to take place in Islamabad this week.
The country's powerful military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, headed to Tehran on Wednesday for what would become a three-day trip, where Iranian leaders said he carried US proposals for a second round of peace talks.
Simultaneously, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his foreign minister conducted a whirlwind diplomatic tour across regional allies Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.
The twin trips illustrate the coordination at play in what is often described as a "hybrid regime" in Pakistan, and Munir's central role in the negotiating process.
"The synergy that is going on right now is giving results, and to take this momentum forward all this synergy will be needed," said Sheharyar Khan, executive director of the Islamabad-based National Dialogue Forum.
Munir was one of two Pakistani mediators in the room during face-to-face talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad on April 11.
"It's not political leadership that takes the decision in these kinds of situations, but the military leadership," said a Pakistani official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official described Munir's visit to Iran as "important" in bringing both sides back to the negotiating table.
"The deal is almost done. He is the only person who can convince Iranians for a deal - that's because of the trust level."
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The benchmark US oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) surged 7.5 percent on Monday, as Iran accused the United States of having broken a ceasefire in place since early April.
WTI crude was trading up 7.5 percent at $90.17 per barrel, while international oil benchmark Brent North Sea crude gained 6.5 percent to $96.27 per barrel.
Iran's military has vowed to respond after a US destroyer on Sunday fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman that tried to evade a US naval blockade.
"We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy and the US military," said a spokesperson for the military's central command centre, Khatam Al-Anbiya, cited by ISNA news agency.
He accused the United States of having "violated the ceasefire" that has been in place since April 8.
US President Donald Trump posted Sunday on Truth Social that after the Iranian vessel, Touska, ignored warnings to stop, the guided missile destroyer USS Spruance "stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom".
"Right now, U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel," the US president added, "and are seeing what's on board!"
Iran is not currently planning to attend talks with the United States, state media said, after President Donald Trump ordered US negotiators to travel to Pakistan on Monday, just days before a ceasefire in the Middle East expires.
The ongoing US blockade of Iranian ports has been a significant sticking point, an issue further complicated by an American destroyer on Sunday firing on and seizing an Iranian ship that tried to evade it. Tehran warned it would retaliate.
State broadcaster IRIB on Sunday cited Iranian sources as saying "there are currently no plans to participate in the next round of Iran-US talks".
The Fars and Tasnim news agencies had earlier cited anonymous sources as saying "the overall atmosphere cannot be assessed as very positive", adding that lifting the US blockade was a precondition for negotiations.
State-run IRNA meanwhile pointed to the blockade and Washington's "unreasonable and unrealistic demands", saying that "in these circumstances, there is no clear prospect of fruitful negotiations".
A US destroyer on Sunday fired on and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman that tried to evade a US naval blockade, President Donald Trump and the US military said Sunday.
Trump posted on Truth Social that after the Iranian vessel, Touska, ignored warnings to stop, the guided missile destroyer USS Spruance "stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom."
"Right now, U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel," the US president added, "and are seeing what's on board!"
Iran has rejected the second round of talks with the US in Islamad, citing the US naval blockade as a key "obstacle". Iran has earlier declared Hormuz Strait "completely open". US President Donald Trump, meanwhile announced that American representatives, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, will travel to Pakistan to pursue ceasefire negotiations with Iran, even as he warned of "severe consequences", including the bombing of powerplants and more bridges, if Tehran fails to agree to a "deal".
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said it’s still "not safe" for ships to transit Strait of Hormuz "right now".
Wright, however, said talks with Iranians over Strait of Hormuz are "going well", adding the US “is not too far away from a deal” with the Iranians. .
He also warned that petrol prices in the US "had probably peaked" but may stay above $3 per gallon until 2027.
The US Navy fired on and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that attempted to breach a US naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman, President Donald Trump said Sunday, marking a sharp escalation in already high tensions over control of strategic Middle East waterways.
In a post on his social media platform, Trump said the vessel, identified as the Touska, ignored repeated warnings from the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance to stop as it tried to bypass the blockade. US forces disabled the ship’s engine room before boarding and taking the vessel into custody, he said. Marines were inspecting the ship’s cargo.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Sunday he had spoken by phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian ahead of anticipated US-Iran talks in Islamabad, and reaffirmed his government's readiness to mediate the conflict.
"I had a warm and constructive conversation with President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian this evening on the evolving regional situation," Sharif said in a post on X.
"Pakistan remains fully committed to its role as an honest and sincere facilitator of lasting peace and regional stability."
US President Donald Trump is sending negotiators to Pakistan on Monday for talks with Iran just days before a ceasefire in the Middle East expires, though Tehran has reportedly yet to decide whether it will participate.
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