Iran rejects talks amid naval blockade, US seizes Iranian ship

Iran's official news agency IRNA said on Sunday the country has rejected taking part in the second round of the peace talks with the United States, reported Xinhua.

Iran's absence from the second round of talks "stems from what it called Washington's excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade, which it considers a breach of the ceasefire," the agency said in a post on its English account on social media platform X.

In another report published in Farsi, IRNA said reports released about the second round of peace talks between Tehran and Washington in Islamabad are "not true."

It described the reports released by the United States as part of a "media game and in line with the blame game" to pressure Iran, stressing that the U.S. "excessive, illogical and unrealistic demands, frequent changing of positions, constant contradictory remarks, continuation of the so-called naval blockade" have so far prevented the negotiations' progress.

IRNA added under the present circumstances, there is "no bright prospect" for fruitful negotiations.

On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the Middle East, and exercising tight control over the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire was achieved between the warring parties on April 8, which was followed by lengthy talks between the Iranian and U.S. delegations in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on April 11 and 12. After the peace negotiations in Islamabad collapsed, the United States imposed its own blockade on the waterway.

Meanwhile, Iran's top joint military command said on Monday that Iran will soon respond to "armed maritime piracy" by the U.S. military, reported Xinhua, quoting media reports.

Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters warned Iran will "soon respond" to U.S. "armed maritime piracy" after American forces fired on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Gulf of Oman, disabled its navigation system, and boarded it with armed commandos, according to Press TV.

In response, Iran carried out drone attacks on U.S. warships, causing the U.S. forces to retreat, according to state-run IRIB and the semi-official Mehr news agency.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday the United States forcibly seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that tried to get around a naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz.

A U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer in the Gulf of Oman "stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room," and the U.S. Marines had custody of the vessel, he said.

Meanwhile, ahead of the expiry on Tuesday of the two-week ceasefire declared by US President Donald Trump in the conflict with Iran, US media outlets reported on Sunday that negotiators Steve Witkoff, special envoy for peace missions and Jared Kushner will head to Islamabad for talks with Iran, reported ANI.

Trump's Middle East envoy is headed to Pakistan this week to restart negotiations to end the Iran War, the US commander-in-chief told The New York Post.

"Steve's going to be going there tomorrow night," Trump said in a phone call on Sunday from the White House to the New York Post, confirming that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will land in Islamabad on Monday night ahead of a second round of peace talks, according to the New York Post. The president added that Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, will also be involved with the talks scheduled for Tuesday.

In an interview with Fox News's Trey Yingst today, Trump said there is an ongoing fight between "moderates" and "crazies" in Iran amid negotiations with the US while confirming that Kushner and Witkoff were departing for Islamabad for talks.

"If the deal isn't done, the deal that we made, then I'm going to take out their bridges and their power plants," Trump said.

"If they don't sign this thing, the whole country is going to get blown up." Fox News cited Trump as saying.

"We're preparing to hit them harder than any country has ever been hit before because you cannot let them have a nuclear weapon," the US President continued as per the US broadcaster. Trump went on to say that Iran has "agreed to much" of the deal already.

Meanwhile, in a post on Truth Social today, he warned of severe repercussions, including an attack on Iranian energy and civil infrastructure, if Iran "doesn't take the deal."

"Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz -- A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement! Many of them were aimed at a French Ship, and a Freighter from the United Kingdom. That wasn't nice, was it? My Representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan -- They will be there tomorrow evening, for Negotiations."

On the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, he claimed that it was Iran on the losing end with the closure causing a loss of USD 500 million per day to the country while claiming that the "United States loses nothing".

He reiterated the assertion of a fair deal on the table for Iran and said that he would no longer remain a "nice guy" and that the US would strike Iran's power plants and bridges.

The two-week ceasefire is set to end on April 22. CNN reported that Iran has not immediately confirmed the plans.The first round of ceasefire negotiations ended in a gridlock between Tehran and Washington over the energy artery- Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear capacities.

US, Iran accuse each other of ceasefire breach

Iran and the United States on Sunday accused each other of ceasefire breach, reported Xinhua.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the U.S. so-called "blockade" of Iran's ports and coastlines violated the ceasefire, calling it "unlawful and criminal."

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has accused Iran of committing a "serious violation" of the ceasefire, according to Jonathan Karl, ABC News' chief Washington correspondent, who wrote on X on Sunday that Trump told him so.

Karl added that Trump told him that an agreement would be reached "one way or another. The nice way or the hard way."

In his Truth Social post on Sunday morning, Trump said the U.S. representatives are going to Islamabad on Monday for a new round of negotiations.

The United States is "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," Trump added.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remained at a standstill on Sunday after the United States imposed a naval blockade on Iran, prompting Iran to reassert control over the strategic waterway.

Iran says ready for both diplomacy and military confrontation

Iranian Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Tehran is pursuing diplomatic efforts while remaining prepared for military confrontation, stressing that Iran does not trust its adversaries and stands ready to respond to further escalation.

In a televised address on Saturday, Qalibaf said the latest conflict began during negotiations, which he accused the United States of undermining through "deception," according to Tasnim News Agency.

Qalibaf said Iran does not claim to possess greater overall military power than the United States, acknowledging Washington's superior resources, but maintained that Tehran considers itself to have prevailed based on its performance and outcomes.

Qalibaf described Iran as having achieved success both "on the ground and in diplomacy," while warning that tensions could escalate at any moment. He said negotiations are continuing alongside what he described as full preparedness for any necessary action.

He also reiterated Iran's distrust of its opponents and said Tehran remains committed to pursuing a lasting peace, while seeking guarantees that would prevent a return to cycles of war, ceasefire and renewed conflict.

Iran blocks 2 more oil tankers from transiting Hormuz

Iranian armed forces intercepted two oil tankers attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported, as tensions persist over maritime access to the strategic waterway.

The vessels, sailing under the flags of Botswana and Angola, tried to pass through the strait "illegally" but were forced to turn back after Iranian intervention, according to the report.

Separately, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei rejected European calls for unrestricted, fee-free passage through the strait, accusing the European Union of "peak hypocrisy" in its application of international law.

Responding to a post by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on social media platform X, Baghaei wrote: "Oh, that 'international law?!' The one that the EU dusts off to lecture others while quietly green-lighting a U.S.-Israeli war of aggression (against Iran) -- and looking the other way on atrocities against Iranians?!"

"Spare the sermons; Europe's chronic failure to practice what it preaches has turned its 'international law' talk into peak hypocrisy," he added.

Kallas had warned that "any pay-for-passage scheme" would set "a dangerous precedent for global maritime routes," adding that the EU's Aspides naval mission is "already operating in the Red Sea and can be quickly strengthened to protect shipping across the region."

"Aspides," meaning "shield" in Greek, is an EU naval mission launched in February 2024 to safeguard freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and nearby waters.

Iran has tightened its control over the Strait of Hormuz since the United States and Israel launched large-scale airstrikes on the Islamic Republic, barring passage to vessels linked to Israel and the United States. The U.S. later imposed its own restrictions after peace talks with Iran in Islamabad collapsed.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Friday the strait would remain "completely open" to commercial shipping during a two-week Iran-U.S. ceasefire that began April 8. However, Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the country's main military command, said Saturday it had resumed strict enforcement over the strait, citing continued U.S. restrictions.

Iran retains 70% of pre-war missile stockpiles: U.S. media

Iran still retains roughly 70 percent of its pre-war ballistic missile stockpiles and about 60 percent of its missile launchers after weeks of war, enough to threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, The New York Times reported on Saturday, citing U.S. officials.

U.S. military and intelligence officials also estimate that Iran retains about 40 percent of its attack drone arsenal, the report added.

According to the report, Iran is working to retrieve missile stockpiles buried under debris from strikes on bunkers and depots. Once recovery efforts are completed, U.S. officials estimate that Iran could regain up to 70 percent of its pre-war missile inventory.

When a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States took effect on April 8, Iran had access to roughly half of its missile launchers. In the days that followed, it recovered about 100 launch systems from underground facilities, bringing the number of operational launchers to approximately 60 percent of pre-war levels, said the report.

Despite variations in estimates, U.S. officials broadly agree that Iran retains sufficient weaponry to potentially disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz in the future.