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Donald Trump said that a US naval destroyer seized an Iranian vessel in the Gulf of Oman, just hours after he announced senior officials would travel to Pakistan for new peace negotiations with Tehran.
In a Truth Social post on Sunday, the president said an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named Touska “tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them”.
He said the guided missile destroyer USS Spruance had stopped the ship by “blowing a hole” in its engine room after the vessel ignored warnings to stop. The US now had custody of the ship, he added, which was under Treasury department sanctions because of a “history of illegal activity”.
There was no immediate response from Iran.
The president had earlier threatened to resume the US bombing campaign if Tehran failed to reach a peace deal during fresh talks next week.
Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Trump said the US delegation would include Steve Witkoff, his special envoy, with Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, also expected to attend.
The previous round of talks was led by JD Vance, the vice-president, however there was confusion on Sunday over what role the vice-president would play in new talks. A White House official said Vance would be going to Pakistan, although Trump told ABC that he would not be due to security reasons. Vance’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump said negotiators would arrive in Islamabad on Monday, but Tasnim News Agency, which is closely linked to Iran’s military and security services, reported that Iran had no intention of sending its negotiators due to the US navy’s continuing blockade of Iranian ports.
The agency also said that messages had been exchanged between Iran and the US in recent days through Pakistan. “The Iranian team has made it clear that there will be no talks as long as the maritime blockade remains in place,” Tasnim added.
In a Truth Social post, the US president accused Iran of committing a “serious violation” of the two-week ceasefire between the countries by firing “bullets” at French and British vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway at the centre of the conflict.
Trump renewed his warning that American forces would target civilian infrastructure in Iran, including power plants and bridges, raising fresh concerns of potential war crimes by the US military.
“We’re 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. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!,” Trump wrote.
The US president’s tone has shifted after a series of upbeat comments late last week about the prospects for a peace deal and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, further bolstered by the 10-day truce between Israel and Lebanon.
This optimism from the White House — which had buoyed equity markets and lowered oil prices — was dashed by Iranian officials, who were far more downbeat about the negotiations and said they were imposing “strict controls” over passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The US did not offer additional details of the incidents described by Trump as Iranian ceasefire violations.
There is growing suspicion in Iran that the proposed talks may be a prelude to a new wave of attacks. Mahmoud Nabavian, a member of parliament who joined the negotiating team in Islamabad, said in a post on X that “the enemy seems to be preparing for a new military operation”. He said that the arrival of equipment in the region coupled with the continuing blockade are indications that the negotiations might be “nothing more than a deception”.
Trump is under heavy domestic pressure to end the war, which is unpopular with the US public and has caused an economic shock that has raised petrol prices ahead of November’s midterm elections.
An NBC poll released on Sunday showed two-thirds of Americans disapproved of his handling of the war.
But the president also faces an Iranian regime that is resisting US demands. Sticking points range from the fate of Tehran’s stockpiles of highly enriched uranium and its future nuclear programme to governance of the Strait of Hormuz.
“I think the outcome of these talks will be incredibly consequential. And as the president has stated, he is prepared to escalate, to de-escalate,” Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, said on ABC on Sunday.
Waltz added that Trump was ready to take the naval blockade to a new level, with US forces instructed to “board and turn around Iranian ships even as far east as the Pacific Ocean”.
Trump convened top cabinet members and senior national security officials at the White House on Saturday to discuss the conflict. He insisted that talks with Iran were going well, but also warned Tehran not to “blackmail” America by seeking to control the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has said it will not reopen access to the waterway until the US lifts its naval blockade of ships entering and exiting Iranian ports, which took effect last Monday.
