US seizes Iranian vessel as doubts rise over new talks
AP News • • world
Key Points:
- Pakistan is advancing preparations for a new round of U.S.-Iran talks scheduled for Tuesday, despite heightened tensions following the U.S. seizure of an Iranian cargo ship and Iran’s threats of retaliation.
- Iran’s Foreign Ministry has not confirmed attendance at the talks, citing no current plans, while the U.S. intends to send negotiators to Islamabad as scheduled.
- The conflict has severely disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil shipping route, causing oil prices to surge above $95 per barrel amid ongoing blockades and military actions.
- Iran reports over 3,375 deaths since the war began, including 383 children, with significant casualties also reported in Lebanon, Israel, and Gulf Arab states.
- Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu condemned an Israeli soldier’s vandalism of a Jesus statue in Lebanon, an incident occurring amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
