Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said it targeted a "US-owned" Panama-flagged container ship in the Gulf region, as hostilities between
Iran, the United States and Israel continue despite a fragile ceasefire. Iranian state-linked media reported that the IRGC fired a cruise missile at the MSC Sariska V. The claim came after reports of an attack on an Iranian ship near Oman. The latest developments come amid continuing US efforts to enforce a maritime blockade of Iranian ports. US Central Command said late on Saturday that American forces stopped a merchant vessel attempting to enter an Iranian port by firing a missile into its engine room. According to the military, the Gambia-flagged cargo ship Lian Star ignored more than 20 warnings while attempting to reach an Iranian port overnight. US officials said the vessel was left adrift in the Gulf of Oman and had not been boarded by American forces. The military said six vessels have now been stopped while attempting to breach the blockade, with only one permitted to continue its voyage. It added that 116 ships had been redirected. The blockade was launched on 17 April after Iran effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict. Washington has said the measures are aimed at restricting Iranian trade and reducing revenue flows to Tehran.
Status of US-Iran Peace Talks
Diplomatic efforts have also suffered a setback after Iran suspended negotiations with the United States. The move was announced on Monday and was described by Iranian media as a response to Israel's expanding military operations in Lebanon.
"The Iranian negotiating team will suspend talks and the exchange of texts through mediators," the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
Iran's foreign ministry later said the United States "bears direct responsibility both for the violations of the ceasefire against Iran and for the violations committed by the Zionist regime against Lebanon".
The suspension complicates efforts to reach a broader settlement to the conflict, which began after the US and Israel launched military operations against Iran on 28 February over Tehran's disputed nuclear programme.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he had held discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and representatives of Hezbollah regarding the fighting in Lebanon.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said: "I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, and there will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back." He added: "Likewise, through highly placed Representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop — That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel."
The Lebanese embassy in Washington later said Hezbollah had accepted a US proposal for a "mutual cessation of attacks". In a statement, the embassy said Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs would stop in exchange for Hezbollah refraining from attacks against Israel. It added that the ceasefire arrangement would later be expanded to cover all Lebanese territory.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu subsequently stated that Israel would continue military operations if attacks persisted. In a post on X, he wrote: "I spoke this evening with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not stop attacking our cities and civilians, Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut."
He added: "This remains our position. At the same time, the IDF will continue operating as planned in southern Lebanon."
Meanwhile, Trump also claimed on Truth Social, without providing evidence, that "Talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran."
