Peace talks in doubt as U.S. seizes Iranian ship : NPR
Commuters walk past a giant billboard referring to the “Strait of Hormuz” on a busy street in Tehran, April 19, 2026.
Atta Kenaré/AFP via Getty Images
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A team of U.S. negotiators is heading to Pakistan on Monday for a second round of peace talks with Iran — which they say may not even happen.
Tehran’s reluctance comes after the United States fired on Sunday and seized one of its cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz as part of Washington’s blockade of Iranian ships in the vital waterway, and just two days before the ceasefire expires.
A video published by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) shows the operation, with Marines descending from a helicopter by rope to board the ship, the Touska, after “the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance…disabled the Touska’s propulsion.”
President Trump said On Sunday, the US military “stopped them in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room” after the ship failed to heed repeated warnings.
Trump said the Marines then took control of the ship and decided to investigate its cargo. He said the Iranian-flagged ship was subject to current U.S. Treasury Department sanctions.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned that they would take action against the US military for seizing the ship, without giving further details.
Oil prices surged in response to these developments, rising more than 5.3% to $95.62 per barrel on Monday from Friday’s close of $90.38 per barrel.
The April 8 ceasefire agreement between the United States, Israel and Iran will expire on Wednesday.
Here’s more news from the Middle East war on Monday:
Security personnel stand guard at a security checkpoint along a temporarily closed road near the Serena Hotel in Islamabad’s red zone April 20, 2026, ahead of planned peace talks between the United States and Iran.
Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images
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Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images
Discussions or no discussions?
Preparations to host Iranian and US negotiating teams were underway Monday in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, despite questions about Iran’s participation.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Monday that Tehran does not yet have plans for a second round of negotiations, accusing the United States of lacking “seriousness in pursuing a diplomatic process,” according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.
A US Air Force Boeing C-17A McChord prepares to land at Pakistan’s Nur Khan military air base in Rawalpindi on April 20, 2026.
Farooq Naeem/AFP via Getty Images
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Farooq Naeem/AFP via Getty Images
Trump announced Sunday that a negotiating team would travel to Islamabad Monday evening and warned Iran against abandoning negotiations.
Trump said: “We are offering a very fair and reasonable deal, and I hope they accept it because if they don’t, the United States is going to destroy every power plant and every bridge in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”
The first round of peace talks led by Vice President Vance collapsed just over a week ago, with Vance accusing Iran of being unwilling to accept Washington’s conditions regarding Iran’s nuclear enrichment plans.
A survey released this week by NBC shows that Trump’s approval rating has reached a new low, with 63% of respondents disapproving of the president’s performance.
Two-thirds of respondents disapprove of Trump’s handling of the Iran conflict and inflation, the poll found.
Chinese condemnation
Iran’s ally China has weighed in on the U.S. seizure of the Touska, according to the Associated Press, expressing concern over the “forced interception” and calling for a resumption of peace talks.
China is heavily dependent on Iranian oil imports.
Death toll in Iran
Iranian officials said Monday that at least 3,375 people had been killed in the war.
Iranian Red Crescent rescuers train during the U.S.-Iran ceasefire at their southwest Tehran training camp April 19, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.
Majid Saeedi/Getty Images Europe
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Majid Saeedi/Getty Images Europe
Abbas Masjedi, head of the Iranian Forensic Medicine Organization, did not give separate figures for civilian and security force casualties.
He said 383 of the dead were children under 18, according to Iran’s Mizan news agency.
Ceasefire in Lebanon
The temporary ceasefire aimed at suspending fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon is holding, although fragile.
In the south, where the Israeli army still occupies much of the territory, Israel has carried out a number of airstrikes against what it calls “terrorist activities.”
Damaged buildings are seen in the Haret Hreik neighborhood of Dahieh, a southern suburb of Beirut, on April 19, 2026, after Israeli strikes and days after a 10-day ceasefire took effect at midnight on April 17.
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Manon Roca/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty
Ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon said Israel can continue its military activities in self-defense.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for an explosion that killed at least one Israeli soldier over the weekend and said the explosive device was planted before the ceasefire.
Jane Arraf in Amman, Jordan, Aya Batrawy in Dubai and Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg contributed to this report.
