WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Iran's military has vowed retaliation following the seizure of an Iranian cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman by U.S. forces, leaving the potential bilateral talks to end the Middle East war in jeopardy.
The Trump administration had announced that the second round of US-Iran talks will commence Monday in Pakistan's capital, which is under tight security.
But Iranian foreign ministry said there are no chances of the talks taking place in Islamabad.
'As of now, we have no plans for the next round of negotiations,' Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said at a press conference Monday. 'We believe in deadlines or ultimatums to secure Iran's national interests,' he told reporters.
The news of the U.S. interception of the Iranian cargo ship, M/V Touska, was disclosed by President Donald Trump on Truth Social Sunday.
Trump said the Iranian-flagged cargo ship, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to get past the U.S. Naval Blockade.
The U.S. Navy's Guided Missile Destroyer USS Spruance intercepted the ship, and gave them a warning to stop.
'The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom.'
Trump said the vessel is now under the custody of U.S. Marines.
M/V Touska is under U.S. Treasury sanctions because of their previous history of illegal activity.
The ship was intercepted as it transited the north Arabian Sea at 17 knots en route to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, according to the U.S. Central Command.
Since the blockade began last Monday, U.S. forces have directed 25 commercial vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port, CENTCOM said in a press release.
Meanwhile, in Lebanon, a 10-day ceasefire with Israel continues to hold, with thousands returning to the south despite widespread destruction. A UN peacekeeper was also killed over the weekend, with initial assessments indicating the fire reportedly came from Hezbollah.
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