Status of US-Iran talks uncertain as ship struck in Hormuz

Conflicting signals from the United States and Iran over the status of talks to end their five-month-old war boosted uncertainty on Tuesday, with the latest attack ‌on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz highlighting risks to global energy flows.

US President Donald Trump said the talks were under way on Monday, warning ​of a "last chance" for Tehran ⁠to sign a good deal, but Iran denied that negotiations were being held or planned.

"This is a last chance for them (Iran) to sign a good document."

"They are going on right now," Trump told reporters at an Oval Office event when asked about the state of negotiations, saying the sides were talking at the request of Gulf countries and among others.

The comments followed Trump's weekend decision to call off "massive attacks" he said he had authorised on Iran, as talks were to be held, repeating ‌a pattern in which he has vowed major strikes only to cancel them.

A Revolutionary Guard Navy (IRGC) speedboat approaches the cargo ship Epaminondas during what state media described as the seizure of one of two vessels accused of violations in the Strait of Hormuz. File/AP

Earlier on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said no negotiations with the United States ⁠were taking place and no meetings were scheduled.

Iran had no plans to host foreign delegations or send negotiators abroad in the coming days, he said.

Baghaei added that all Iranian negotiators were in the country, except for Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who was on a religious pilgrimage in Iraq. The only talks underway, he said, were discussions with Oman over management of the Strait of Hormuz.

Shipping activity in the Gulf only reinforced the ongoing stand-off since Iran all but shut off transits through the vital route for a fifth of global shipments of crude oil and natural gas before it was blockaded in the war.

One cargo vessel broadcast it had been hit by an ​unknown projectile near the strait off Oman's coast, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi speaks during a press conference. File/Reuters

Traffic through Hormuz remained largely slow, with three tankers and ‌three bulk carriers among the six vessels transiting the strait on Monday, down from seven the previous day, Kpler data showed.

Repeated pattern

Monday's events appeared to ⁠fit a pattern since Trump launched "Operation Epic Fury" alongside Israel more than five months ago. Trump has threatened military action several times, only to ‌later cite diplomatic contacts as a reason to step back.
Iran, however, has publicly rejected negotiations with Washington since the collapse in early July of a memorandum of understanding both signed the previous month, aimed at ending the conflict.

US President Donald Trump answers questions from the media in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Monday. Reuters

Trump has yet to achieve the objectives he set out ⁠at the outset of the war: dismantling Iran's nuclear program, curbing its ability to attack regional rivals and creating conditions for Iranians to overthrow their clerical rulers. Repeated ​U.S. actions have been met by escalating Iranian responses against US forces in the region, Washington's Gulf Arab allies and shipping, each time ending with Trump stepping back.

The Hormuz dispute remains a central point of contention, with Washington saying the June memorandum required Iran to open the strategic waterway, while Tehran ⁠says the text explicitly preserved its authority over shipping traffic.

Reuters