Ceasefire at risk after US seizes Iranian ship, Iran shuns peace talks

 A ceasefire between the United States and Iran appeared in jeopardy on Monday after the US said it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade and Tehran vowed to retaliate, refusing for now to join new peace talks.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Washington has shown it was “not serious” about pursuing the diplomatic process and Tehran would not change its clearly stated demands, adding that it did not believe in deadlines or ultimatums when safeguarding national interests.

“As of now, as I am speaking to you, we have no plan for the next round of negotiations. No decision has been taken in this regard,” said Baghaei.

The US had hoped to start negotiations in Pakistan shortly before the two-week ceasefire expires, with sweeping security preparations under way in Islamabad, but Baghaei said the US was “insisting on some unreasonable and unrealistic positions”.

“We are still in a state of war. It is true that a ceasefire has been announced, but unfortunately it has been met from the very beginning with repeated violations by the United States,” Baghaei said.

A senior Iranian source told Reuters the continuation of the US blockade was undermining the prospect of peace talks, and Tehran’s “defensive capabilities”, including its missile programme, were not open to negotiation.

CEASEFIRE EXTENSION?

A Pakistani security source said Pakistan’s key mediator, Field Marshal Asim Munir, had told US President Donald Trump the blockade was an obstacle to talks, and that Trump had replied that he would consider the advice.

Trump announced the two-week ceasefire with Iran on April 7. While he has not specified the exact time it expires, April 21 would mark two weeks, which could be Tuesday evening in the United States and Wednesday morning in Iran.

Asked over the weekend about the chance of an extension to the ceasefire, Trump replied: “I don’t know. Maybe not. Maybe I won’t extend it. But the blockade is going to remain.”

The US has maintained the blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran has lifted and then reimposed its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which typically handles roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied gas supply.

Oil prices rose about 5% and stock markets wobbled as traders fretted that the ceasefire would collapse and traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained at a virtual standstill with just three crossings in the space of 12 hours on Monday, according to shipping data.

US MARINES BOARD IRANIAN VESSEL

The US military said it had fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship headed towards Iran’s Bandar Abbas port on Sunday after a six-hour standoff, disabling its engines. US Central Command released video showing Marines descending ropes from helicopters onto the vessel.

Iran’s military said the ship had been travelling from China and accused the US of “armed piracy”, according to state media. They said they were ready to confront US forces over the “blatant aggression”, but were constrained by the presence of crew members’ families on board.

China, the main buyer of Iranian crude, expressed concern over the “forced interception”, and Chinese President Xi Jinping called for ships to resume passage through the strait as normal and for the conflict to be resolved through political and diplomatic channels, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Trump warned on Sunday the US would destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran if it rejected his terms, continuing a recent pattern of such threats.

Iran has said that if the United States were to attack its civilian infrastructure, it would strike power stations and desalination plants in its Gulf Arab neighbours.

PREPARING FOR TALKS THAT MIGHT NOT HAPPEN

Trump said his envoys would arrive in Islamabad on Monday evening. A White House official told Reuters the US delegation would be headed by Vice President JD Vance, who led the US delegation to the first round of talks a week ago, and also include Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Pakistan was still gearing up for the talks. Nearly 20 000 security personnel have been deployed across the capital Islamabad, a government official and a security official said.

Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who has led Iran’s side in the talks, said on Saturday the two sides had made progress but were still far apart on nuclear issues and the Strait.

European allies, repeatedly criticised by Trump for not aiding his war effort, worry that Washington’s negotiating team is pushing for a swift, superficial deal that would require months or years of technically complex follow‑on talks.

Thousands of people have been killed by US-Israeli strikes on Iran and in an Israeli invasion of Lebanon conducted in parallel since the war began on February 28, where a truce is also currently in place.

Iran responded to the attacks with missiles and drones against Israel and nearby Arab countries that host US bases.