A U.S. negotiating team is headed to Pakistan Monday for a second round of peace talks with Iran — which says it may not even attend.
Tehran’s reluctance follows the U.S. on Sunday firing on and seizing an Iranian-flagged cargo ship, the Touska, in the Strait of Hormuz as part of Washington’s blockade of Iranian vessels in the strategic waterway. The action came two days before the current ceasefire is set to expire.
A video released by U.S. Central Command shows Marines fast-roping from a helicopter to board the vessel after the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance disabled the ship’s propulsion. President Trump said the U.S. military had “stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room” after the ship failed to heed repeated warnings. He said Marines then took control of the vessel to inspect its cargo and that the ship was subject to existing U.S. Treasury Department sanctions.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned it would take action against the U.S. military for the seizure, without providing details.
Markets reacted: oil jumped more than 5.3% to $95.62 a barrel on Monday from Friday’s close of $90.38.
The April 8 ceasefire agreement between the U.S.-Israel coalition and Iran is due to expire on Wednesday.
Talks or no talks?
Preparations to host the Iranian and U.S. teams were underway in Islamabad on Monday, though Iran questioned whether it would attend. Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told state media that Tehran had “no plans yet” for a second round and accused the U.S. of lacking “seriousness in pursuing a diplomatic process,” according to IRNA.
Trump announced the negotiating team’s travel Sunday and warned Iran against walking away. He said, “We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”
The first round of talks, led by Vice President Vance just over a week ago, collapsed with Vance accusing Iran of refusing Washington’s terms on nuclear enrichment. A poll released this week by NBC showed Trump’s approval rating at a new low, with 63% disapproving of his performance; roughly two-thirds disapproved of his handling of the Iran conflict and inflation.
Chinese condemnation
China, an Iranian ally and major buyer of Iranian oil, expressed concern about “the forcible interception” of the Touska and called for a resumption of peace talks, the Associated Press reported.
Death toll in Iran
Iranian officials said Monday that at least 3,375 people had been killed during the war. Abbas Masjedi, head of Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization, did not separate civilian and security-force casualties but said 383 of the dead were children under 18, according to state-linked Mizan news agency.
Lebanon ceasefire holding
A temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon remained in place but fragile. In southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces still occupy sizable areas, Israel carried out airstrikes it described as responses to “terrorist activity.” The ceasefire agreement allows Israel to continue military actions in self-defense. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for an explosion that killed at least one Israeli soldier over the weekend, saying the device had been planted before the ceasefire.
Jane Arraf in Amman, Aya Batrawy in Dubai and Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg contributed to this report.