Ship runs aground in Strait of Hormuz

 A ship ran aground in the Strait of Hormuz after not running Iran’s approved route through the water, Iranian state television reported Wednesday. The report identified the affected vessel as a foreign container ship, but offered no other immediate details. 

The Iranian state TV report appeared aimed at underlining the claims Tehran has made since the US-Iran war to control over the strait. The strait has long been considered by the world as an international waterway and saw a fifth of all oil and natural gas pass through it in peacetime. 

It also came as US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, were in Doha, Qatar, for talks with mediators as Iranian negotiators were also to be there. 

Iran and the United States agreed as part of an interim deal to allow ships to pass uncharged for 60 days, but Tehran insisted it must control the routes of the vessels and later charge fees for passage, upending decades of practice in the waterway. The US and many Gulf Arab states say they won't agree to the charges. An effort by Oman and a UN agency to launch a new route near Oman's shore sparked attacks across the Mideast over last weekend, highlighting the tensions still gripping the Mideast. 

Shallow waters 

Iranian state TV said the ship "ran aground with its cargo because of shallow waters along the route it had chosen and was unable to continue sailing.” It said shippers needed to follow the instructions of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in the strait. 

The Guard's navy "has repeatedly warned captains, shipowners and officials of shipping companies around the world that any entry or exit through routes other than the ‘Route of Authority’ in the Arabian Gulf could lead to irreparable incidents,” it said. The report did not mention the two ships Iran attacked in recent days for daring to head out through the strait without Tehran's permission, including one that was carrying crude oil from Qatar. 

No planned meetings with the Americans: Iran 

Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Qatar on Tuesday ahead of talks with Qatari mediators. While Iran has insisted it planned no meetings with the Americans, their comments left open the possibility of so-called "indirect negotiations,” in which the two nations pass messages through Qatari officials. That has happened multiple times during negotiations in the second Trump administration. 

Qatar early Wednesday morning acknowledged a meeting between the Americans and its foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. A readout from Qatar's Foreign Ministry said the men talked about the interim deal "along with the efforts aimed at promoting security and stability in the region through dialogue and diplomacy.” Lebanon also was discussed, another key point in a final deal as Iran has been insisted that all fighting between the Iranian-backed militia Hizbollah and Israeli military forces end. 

Iran also has called for Israel to give up the land it occupies in southern Lebanon now. Israel insists it must hold the territory and have a free hand to attack Hezbollah, which has been launching attacks into northern Israel. 

A boy balances on a tyre at the water's edge as ships are seen in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Tuesday. AP

Iran did not immediately acknowledge any talks on Wednesday. However, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a key negotiator, told Iranian state television overnight that work continues to try to reach a permanent end to the war. 

"We are engaged in dialogue, but if they refuse to implement what has been agreed through dialogue, we are prepared for war,” Qalibaf said. 

While ship traffic in the strait dropped after this weekend's attacks, more countries say their vessels have gotten out. 

Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that 10 out of 11 Thai-flagged vessels or vessels chartered by Thai operators have left the Strait of Hormuz safely. South Korean officials say all but two of the country’s 26 vessels that were stranded have left safely. 

Also on Wednesday, Iraqi authorities shot down a small drone over Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, where many embassies and government buildings are located, two Iraqi security officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly. One of the officials said the drone was unarmed and likely was being used for surveillance. No group immediately claimed the drone as theirs. 

Associated Press