live Iranian Military Command Vows Revenge For US Seizure Of Cargo Ship

Iran's top joint military command accused US forces of violating a cease-fire by shooting at and seizing an Iranian commercial vessel in the Gulf of Oman and vowed to retaliate "soon," according to state media.

State media quoted a spokesperson as saying early on April 20 that the ship was traveling from China to Iran when it was intercepted.

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"We warn that the armed forces of the ‌Islamic republic of Iran will soon ⁠respond and ‌retaliate against this armed piracy by the US military," the spokesperson said.

Hours earlier, US President Donald Trump and the Pentagon announced that the US forces had fired upon and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that attempted to evade a US maritime blockade.

US Central Command said the ship, the Touska, "failed to comply to repeated commands" over a six-hour period. The guided-missile destroyer Spruance fired several rounds into Touska’s engine room, it said. Trump said the ship was now under US control.

President Trump announces US forces have intercepted an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that tried to pass through a US maritime blockade and now have "full custody" of it.

"Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them," Trump wrote in his Truth Social post on April 19.

The president added that the country's guided-missile destroyer, USS Spruance, intercepted an Iranian ship in the Gulf of Oman, saying US forces warned it to stop before "blowing a hole" in the vessel's engine room after it refused to comply.

"Right now, US Marines have custody of the vessel. The TOUSKA is under U.S. Treasury Sanctions because of their prior history of illegal activity," Trump added. "We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board!"

The development comes amid uncertainty over the second round of negotiations between Washington and Tehran in Pakistan, previously announced by Trump. There has been no official announcement from Iran regarding its participation in the talks.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced that he spoke with Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian about the Middle East conflict, saying Islamabad remained committed to its role in establishing regional stability.

Sharif said he told Pezeshkian about his conversations with leaders from the Gulf, including those of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as NATO member Turkey.

"I appreciated Iran's engagement, including its high-level delegation to Islamabad for the historic talks," Sharif wrote on X on April 19.

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The 45-minute call between the leaders came after Iranian media reported that Tehran was rejecting participation in the second round of negotiations with the United States in Pakistan, announced by US President Donald Trump.

With no official response from Tehran regarding its participation in the talks, it remains unclear whether diplomatic efforts to end the war will resume in Islamabad on April 20. A readout of the call did not mention when the next round of negotiations might take place.

Iranian state-affiliated media have not yet confirmed that Tehran will send its delegation for a new round of negotiations with the United States, announced by President Donald Trump.

Iran's Fars News Agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), reported that no final decision on Iran's participation in the second round of talks has been made, but suggested it could not be ruled out.

The agency added that its sources viewed the conditions for the talks as not "particularly positive" and that Tehran would not consider meeting in Islamabad if the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continued.

The semi-official Tasnim News Agency also reported that Iran has "no current plan to send a negotiating delegation."

Official Iranian news agency IRNA went further, saying Tehran rejected participation in the talks: "Iran stated that its absence from the second round of talks stems from what it called Washington's excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade, which it considers a breach of the ceasefire."

Earlier in the day, Trump said US negotiators would arrive on April 20 to resume efforts to end the war, little more than a week after earlier talks in the Pakistani capital ended without agreement.

Security was visibly tightened in Islamabad on April 19 ahead of expected new talks between the United States and Iran, the AFP news agency reports.

US President Donald Trump said US negotiators would arrive on April 20 to resume efforts to end the war, little more than a week after earlier talks in the Pakistani capital ended without agreement.

Authorities announced road closures and traffic restrictions in Islamabad and nearby Rawalpindi.

AFP journalists also reported checkpoints, barricades and armed guards around major hotels, including the Serena Hotel in the Pakistani capital, where the last round of talks took place.

An Islamabad city official posted on X earlier on April 19 to say that public and heavy transport had been "suspended until further orders" and that citizens were "earnestly requested to cooperate with the security agencies."

With reporting by AFP

US President Donald Trump says US representatives are returning to Islamabad for renewed talks with Iran, while accusing Tehran of a “Total Violation” of the current cessation of hostilities, claiming that Iranian forces allegedly opened fire in the Strait of Hormuz at a French vessel and a British freighter.

In a Truth Social post on April 19, he said negotiations were due to begin in the Pakistani capital on April 20.

Trump also claimed that Iran’s threat to close the strait was redundant because a US naval blockade of Iranian ports had “already closed it.”

He urged Tehran to accept what he called a “very fair and reasonable DEAL,” warning that otherwise the United States would strike Iranian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges.

A cease-fire that started on April 8 is due to expire on April 22.

Iran’s armed forces reportedly turned back two tankers attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz on April 19 after issuing warnings, according to Reuters.

Citing the semiofficial Tasnim news agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Reuters said the Botswana- and Angola-flagged vessels were forced to change course over what the Iranian report described as “unauthorized transit” of the crucial waterway, which usually accounts for around one fifth of the global oil trade.

Four people, including two foreign nationals, were arrested in northwestern Iran on accusations of belonging to a “U.S.-Israel-linked espionage network,” Reuters reported on April 19, citing the semiofficial Tasnim news agency.

The report said the foreigners were accused of importing satellite Internet equipment such as Starlink, possession of which is illegal in Iran, where a near-total digital blackout remains in place.

Reuters added that hundreds of Iranians have been arrested for allegedly "cooperating with enemy states" since the start of the the US-Israeli war with Iran.

The head of the Tehran Crisis Management Organization (TCMO) said on April 19 that 44,750 building units in Tehran were damaged during the war and that the government would compensate losses to those properties, including household belongings, repairs, and damaged vehicles.

The pledge came after a government spokesperson said earlier this week that “existing economic realities” meant the state lacked the resources to compensate civilians whose homes were damaged in the war.

According to TCMO chief Ali Nasiri, most residential damage can be resolved through “minor repairs.”

For heavily damaged units, planned support includes hotel accommodation or rental housing, repair payments, shopping cards for household appliances, and compensation for damaged vehicles.

Nasiri also said the government would cover compensation for damaged furniture and household goods.

Earlier, Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani had also pledged that the municipality would cover “all costs” of rebuilding homes damaged in the war.

Iran says some university professors will begin receiving restored access to the international Internet while the wider public remains under a nationwide blackout that has passed its 50th day.

The Iranian science ministry said on April 19 that access for academics would start with professors, with other researchers to be added later.

Officials said the names of eligible professors had been sent to the communications ministry for a phased reconnection.

Selected professional groups have also regained or are close to regaining access, but authorities have remained silent on when ordinary citizens will be reconnected.

At present, the only group widely known in the country as having “white SIM cards” -- a term used for specially privileged mobile access -- consists of a limited number of government supporters who are able to use the Internet.

With Iran's digital shutdown now lasting more than 1,200 hours, critics say most ordinary Iranians cannot earn income online or contact relatives through Internet-based apps.