US Attacks and Seizes Iranian Cargo Ship, as Iran Says 'No Decision' Yet on Joining Peace Talks
US negotiators will head to Pakistan on Monday with the intention of holding further talks on ending the war, Trump says - but Iranian state media cites unnamed officials as saying Tehran has "no plans for now to participate".
The prospect of further high-level negotiations - a White House official says Vice-President JD Vance will attend - comes amid reports of fresh attacks on commercial vessels.
Trump says the navy intercepted and took "custody" of an Iranian tanker attempting to pass through the US blockade, "blowing a hole" in the ship's engine room in the process.
Earlier, in the same post announcing his representatives would travel for more talks, Trump renewed his threat to destroy Iranian energy sites and bridges if no deal is reached.
Reports in Iranian media over the weekend suggest Iran is continuing to work on plans to potentially apply a toll to ships passing through the strait - although it's unclear if such a move will be implemented.
Iranian state TV cites unnamed officials as saying that "continuation of the so-called naval blockade, violation of the ceasefire and threatening US rhetoric" are slowing progress in reaching an agreement.
Trump also accused Iran of violating the ceasefire, saying more commercial ships have been attacked by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.
A UK maritime agency reported two commercial ships came under fire in the strait on Saturday.
Iran's foreign minister had said on Friday that the strait would be opened - which was shortly followed by Trump saying the US naval blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place until a deal is reached. Iran has since said the strait is closed again.Global oil prices have jumped after US President Donald Trump said its navy had intercepted and seized an Iran-flagged cargo ship.
The Brent crude benchmark oil price jumped over 6% to around $96 (£71) a barrel, reversing the slump on Friday when Iran said the Strait of Hormuz would be "completely open" to commercial vessels for the remainder of the ceasefire.
On Saturday, Iran said it was closing the strait again and that any ship that approached it would be targeted.
The waterway is of key importance as usually about 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes through it.
Energy markets have seen wild swings since the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February and Tehran responded with threats to target shipping in the strait.
Trump has said his representatives will be in Pakistan on Monday for negotiations. A White House official said Vice-President JD Vance would lead the US delegation.
But Iran's state media said Tehran had "no plans for now to participate" in the talks, although Iranian officials have not clarified the country's position yet.
"Oil markets continue to gyrate in response to oscillating social media posts by the US and Iran, rather than the realities on the ground which remain challenging for oil flows to resume in a rapid fashion", analyst Saul Kavonic from financial services firm MST Marquee told the BBC.
(Source: BBC)





