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Tankers’ reports that Iranian gunboats fired at it show that the Iranian military declared the Strait of Hormuz closed again on Saturday, just hours after reopening it. This latest development has cast doubt on US President Donald Trump’s optimism that a peace deal to end the war in the Middle East was “very close”.
Iranian gunboats fired on an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, the BBC reported, Britain’s Maritime Safety Agency said.
The tanker’s captain reported being approached 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman by two Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) gunboats, which without any radio warning “then fired on the tanker,” the UK’s Maritime Trade Operations Center said in an online statement.
«The tanker and crew were reported safe and sound. The authorities are investigating.”
A statement said to have been issued by Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, warned that Tehran’s navy is ready to defeat American forces.
In a statement on his Telegram channel, Khamenei – who had not been seen in public since before the war began – said that “Iran’s courageous navy is ready to make its enemies taste the bitterness of new defeats.”
Iran’s military declared the Strait of Hormuz closed again on Saturday, hours after reopening it, casting doubt on US President Donald Trump’s optimism that a peace deal to end the war in the Middle East was “very close”.
No date has been set for the next round of Pakistan-brokered peace talks between Iran and the United States after the failure of the former, Iran’s deputy foreign minister said.
“Until we agree on the framework, we cannot set the date,” Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters.
“Now we focus on defining the framework of understanding between the two sides. We do not want to start negotiations or meetings due to a failure that could be a pretext for another round of escalation,” he said.
US President Donald Trump “tweets a lot”, Khatibzadeh also said, after Washington threatened new attacks if an agreement was not reached with Tehran.
“The American side tweets a lot, talks a lot. Sometimes confusing, sometimes, you know, contradictory,” he told reporters.
Egypt and Pakistan are working “very hard” as mediators to reach “a final agreement between the United States and Iran”, the Egyptian Foreign Minister said.
“We hope to do it (reach an agreement) in the next few days,” Badr Abdelatty said, adding: “We are pushing very hard to move forward.”
No date has been set for the next round of Pakistan-brokered peace talks between Iran and the United States after the failure of the former, Iran’s deputy foreign minister said.
“Until we agree on the framework, we cannot set the date,” Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters.
“Now we focus on defining the framework of understanding between the two sides. We do not want to start negotiations or meetings due to a failure that could be a pretext for another round of escalation,” he said.
Iran’s central military command said it will resume “strict management” of the Strait of Hormuz, reversing a decision to unblock the strategic channel as part of negotiations with Washington.
In a statement shared on state television, the headquarters said Washington had broken a promise by continuing a naval blockade of ships sailing to and from Iranian ports.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Minister accused Israel of using security as a pretext to acquire “more land”.
“Israel does not pursue its own security. Israel wants more land. Security is used by the Netanyahu government as an excuse to occupy more land,” Hakan Fidan said at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Pakistan’s powerful military chief and prime minister concluded separate visits aimed at ending the war with Iran, with Field Marshal Asim Munir leaving Tehran and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif returning home from Turkey.
Munir met Iran’s top leadership and peace negotiators during a three-day visit to Tehran, a Pakistani military statement said.
A second round of talks between the United States and Iran is expected in Islamabad next week.
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