Tehran has rejected claims of diplomatic progress and pledged to respond to American pressure
A cargo ship was reportedly hit in the Strait of Hormuz by an “unknown projectile” overnight. The incident occurred after US President Donald Trump declared that he was giving Tehran its “last chance before decapitation” to sign a deal on his terms.
Control over the strait, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil passes, has become the focal point of the conflict since Washington launched its war against Iran in late February. Tehran has rejected Trump’s claims that his efforts to extract concessions through a naval blockade of Iranian ports and threats of overwhelming military action are leading to progress towards a diplomatic solution.
The incident occurred off the coast of Oman in the narrow waterway, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) monitoring agency reported late on Monday. Reuters later identified the ship as the Liberia-flagged dry bulk ship Minoan Pioneer, citing industry sources. A sailor is reportedly missing after a hit on the engine room, which prompted a full evacuation of the crew.
Separate reports from Kuwait said that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacked a US military base in the north of the country overnight. Tehran has not claimed responsibility for either incident.
Earlier on Monday, Trump said his latest decision to call off attacks on Iran over the weekend was intended to give Tehran an opportunity “to sign a good document.”
“I want to give them every last chance before decapitation,” he said after journalists at the White House pointed out that it was at least the fifth time he had said he was canceling military operations to facilitate negotiations.
Trump also ruled out allowing the war to end with Iran imposing charges on commercial traffic passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
“I’m not going to let him charge. Anybody’s going to charge, we’ll charge. We have total control,” he asserted.
Tehran reiterated Monday that it would continue responding to the US blockade. Mohsen Rezaei, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, rejected Trump’s claims that talks were ongoing.
“The negotiations are at a deadlock and Trump must break this deadlock,” the Iranian official told journalists. He added that if the US escalates hostilities, Iran will “expand the war beyond the Persian Gulf.”
Tehran insists that no ship may pass through the Strait of Hormuz without its permission. It has also said that the route must be open to either all nations, including Iran, or none. The Iranian military has also attacked American military assets across the Middle East while severely restricting traffic through the strait, creating pressure on the global economy.
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