On the 20th of April, concerns grew about the fate of the US-Iran truce – the Americans seized an Iranian cargo ship that was trying to sail through a naval blockade, and Iran promised to respond to the interception of the ship, writes Reuters.
Efforts to achieve lasting peace in the region are also in jeopardy – Iran has announced that it will not participate in the second round of peace talks. The US hoped to organize it before the ceasefire expires.
The US continues to block access to Iranian ports, while Iran has lifted and then resumed its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is the main export route for oil from the Persian Gulf countries. The Americans reported that on the 19th of April they fired shots at an Iranian cargo ship, damaging its engines. Then US marines seized the ship from helicopters. The Iranian military said the ship was en route from China and warned that the Iranian armed forces would not leave US piracy without a proper response. Meanwhile, fears that the ceasefire would fail and that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed have sent oil prices up more than 5%, sending the stock market into another tailspin.
Iranian state media reported that Tehran had rejected new peace talks, citing the blockade, threatening rhetoric, Washington’s shifting stance and excessive demands. Iran’s First Vice President Mohammadreza Aref wrote on social media that it was impossible to limit Iran’s oil exports while expecting others to be able to transport oil freely and safely. The choice is clear: either free oil trade for all or the risk of everyone having to pay a high price.
US President Donald Trump had previously threatened to blow up every bridge and power plant in Iran if Tehran did not agree to his terms, before the ceasefire was agreed.
Iran responded by saying it would attack the infrastructure of US Gulf allies.
Trump said his envoys would arrive in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on the evening of April 20. The White House told Reuters that the US delegation would be led by Vice President JD Vance, and would also include Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. However, Trump told ABC News and MS Now that Vance would not be traveling to Pakistan.
Despite the mixed signals, Pakistan continues to prepare for peace talks. Nearly 20,000 police, army and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in the capital, and the area around the talks has been cordoned off. Public transport has also been suspended in the city.
The Iranian side in the talks is led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who has previously said that some progress has been made, but that views on nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz remain radically different. Europeans, who have been repeatedly criticized by Trump for refusing to help in the war against Iran, are concerned that the Americans are trying to reach a quick, superficial agreement that will then require months or years of technically complex further negotiations.
The eight-week-long conflict has caused the biggest shock in history to the world energy market, and the virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz has caused oil prices to rise sharply and sharply. US and Israeli strikes have killed thousands of people, and Israel is also carrying out simultaneous strikes in Lebanon.
Read also: How and why is the US blocking the Strait of Hormuz?