DUBAI, April 20 (Reuters) – A ceasefire between the United States and Iran appeared to be in danger on Monday after the United States said it had seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that attempted to breach its blockade, and Tehran vowed to retaliate, for the time being refusing to participate in new peace negotiations.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Washington had shown that it ‘was not taking the diplomatic process seriously’ and that Tehran would not budge on its clearly stated demands, adding that it did not believe in deadlines or ultimatums to safeguard national interests.
The United States had hoped to begin negotiations in Pakistan shortly before the two-week ceasefire expired, with broad security preparations underway in Islamabad, but Baghaei said the U.S. was ‘insisting on some irrational and unrealistic positions’.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that the continuation of the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports was undermining the prospect of peace talks, and that Tehran’s ‘defensive capabilities’, including its missile program, were not open to negotiation.
A Pakistani security source said that Pakistan’s chief mediator, Field Marshal Asim Munir, had told U.S. President Donald Trump that the blockade was an obstacle to negotiations, and that Trump had replied that he would consider the advice.
U.S. MARINES BOARD IRANIAN SHIP
The United States maintained a blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran briefly lifted and then reimposed its own blockade on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which normally handles about a fifth of the world’s supply of petroleum and liquefied gas.
Oil prices rose more than 6% and stock markets fluctuated as traders feared the ceasefire would collapse and that Gulf traffic would remain at a minimum. [O/R]
U.S. armed forces said they fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship heading to Iran’s Bandar Abbas port on Sunday, after a six-hour standoff, disabling its engines. The U.S. Central Command released a video showing Marines rappelling from helicopters onto the ship.
Iranian authorities said the ship was coming from China and accused the U.S. of ‘armed piracy’, according to state media. They said they were ready to confront American forces because of the ‘flagrant aggression’, but were constrained by the presence aboard of the families of crew members.
China expressed concern about the ‘forced interception’, and a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson urged the relevant parties to honor the ceasefire agreement responsibly.
Tehran refused new peace negotiations for the time being, citing the ongoing blockade, threatening rhetoric and Washington’s shifting positions and ‘excessive demands’.
‘You cannot restrict Iran’s oil exports and expect free security for others,’ wrote First Vice President Mohammadreza Aref on social media. ‘The choice is clear: a free oil market for all or the risk of significant costs for all.’
Trump had previously warned that the United States would destroy all bridges and power plants in Iran if it rejected his terms, continuing a recent pattern of such threats.
Iran said that if the United States attacked its civilian infrastructure, it would strike power and desalination plants in its Arab Gulf neighbors.
PREPARING FOR NEGOTIATIONS THAT MAY NOT HAPPEN
Trump said his aides would reach Islamabad on Monday night, one day before the two-week ceasefire ends.
A White House official told Reuters that the U.S. delegation would be led by Vice President JD Vance, who led the U.S. delegation in the first round of negotiations a week earlier, and would also include Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. But Trump told ABC News and MS Now that Vance would not be going.
Pakistan, which has acted as the main mediator, was still preparing for the talks.
About 20,000 police, paramilitary and military personnel were mobilized across the capital Islamabad, according to a government and security official.
The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who led Iran’s side in the talks, said on Saturday that both sides had made progress, but were still far apart on nuclear issues and the Strait.
European allies, repeatedly critiqued by Trump for not aiding in his war effort, fear that Washington’s negotiating team is pushing for a quick and superficial agreement that would require months or years of technically complex talks.
Now, in its eighth week, the war has created the most severe impact on global energy supplies in history, driving oil prices higher due to the de facto closure of the Strait.
Thousands of people have been killed by Israeli and American attacks on Iran and by an Israeli invasion of Lebanon carried out in parallel since the start of the war on February 28, where a truce is also in effect.
Iran has responded to the attacks with missiles and drones against Israel and nearby Arab countries hosting U.S. bases.
