The US military said on Tuesday it had seized a tanker linked to Iran in international waters, its latest apparent action to enforce a blockade, with time running out on a ceasefire and the prospect of last-ditch further peace talks still up in the air, Report informs via Reuters.
Washington has expressed confidence that talks with Iran will go ahead in Pakistan, and a senior Iranian official said Tehran was considering joining. But with the final hours of a two-week truce ticking by, there was little time left for the talks.
The US military said it had boarded the tanker Tifani "without incident." The ship, capable of carrying 2 million barrels of crude, last reported its position on Tuesday morning as near Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean, according to MarineTraffic tracking data. It was close to fully loaded and had signalled Singapore as its destination.
"As we have made clear, we will pursue global maritime enforcement efforts to disrupt illicit networks and interdict sanctioned vessels providing material support to Iran - anywhere they operate," US Central Command said.
In a short statement on social media, Trump said Iran had carried out numerous violations of the ceasefire, without giving further details.
On February 28, the US and Israel launched military operations against Iran. That same day, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in the strikes. In retaliation, Iran launched missile and drone strikes on Israel and other countries of the region housing US military assets.
Iran, the US, and their allies agreed to a two-week ceasefire on the night of April 8, 2026.
Subsequent negotiations between Iran and the US, mediated by Pakistan, were held in Islamabad on April 11-12.
Trump announced the opening of the Strait of Hormuz to shipping on April 15, despite the continued naval blockade of Iranian ports. This step was taken to preserve relations with China. Later, on April 18, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGC Navy) of Iran announced the closure of the waterway, arguing that this was due to the violation of the ceasefire agreement and the ongoing blockade of Iranian ports by the American military.