Iran said it would soon retaliate against the United States for firing on an Iranian-flagged vessel, calling the act a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
According to Reuters on Wednesday (local time), Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said in a statement that "the United States violated the ceasefire agreement by attacking one of Iran's commercial vessels," warning that "Iran will soon respond to and retaliate against the US military's 'armed piracy.'" The statement also claimed that "after the United States attacked the commercial vessel, Iranian forces attacked several US military ships using drones." According to Iran, the seized vessel was heading from China to Iran.
Earlier, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that the US had seized a 900-foot (about 274-meter) Iranian-flagged cargo ship named the Tuska, and that US Marines were currently inspecting its interior. US Central Command also stated that "we issued warnings to the vessel for six hours, but it did not comply, so we fired naval guns at the engine room and disabled the propulsion system."
The incident occurred just before the two-week ceasefire agreement is set to expire on the 21st. It also came as the United States is pushing for a second round of negotiations to end the war in Islamabad, Pakistan, on the 20th. Following the US military's reverse blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on the 13th, this physical clash between the two sides is expected to become a major variable in the negotiations.
Trump had previously said, "The US delegation will be in Islamabad on the evening of the 20th for negotiations," while threatening to attack power plants if Iran does not reach an agreement. In contrast, Tasnim News, which represents Iran's military and hardliners, reported Wednesday, citing internal sources, that "Iran has not yet decided to send a negotiation delegation," adding that "there will be no negotiations as long as the (US) maritime blockade continues."
Financial markets have been on a rollercoaster for consecutive days. As tensions escalated again Wednesday, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures opened 6.4% higher at around $87 per barrel, while Brent crude futures rose 6.5% to around $96. US stock futures markets were down about 0.7%.
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