Araghchi holds call with Pakistani counterpart on regional issues

President Donald Trump said on Sunday that US forces intercepted an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman and took custody of the vessel after its crew ignored orders to stop.

“Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA ... tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

“The U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer USS SPRUANCE intercepted the TOUSKA in the Gulf of Oman, and gave them fair warning to stop,” he said.

“The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom,” Trump added.

“Right now, U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel. We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board,” he said.

The head of the Iranian parliament’s construction committee said a draft bill to manage the Strait of Hormuz is nearing completion and would ban Israeli-linked ships, restrict states Iran deems hostile and impose rial-denominated transit fees, IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency reported.

“A comprehensive law has been drafted in the country to manage the Strait of Hormuz and will soon be finalized,” Fars quoted Mohammad Rezaei-Kouchi as saying.

Under the proposal, cargoes and ships affiliated with Israel would be barred from passage, the report said.

Countries Iran deems hostile would also be unable to pass without permission from the Supreme National Security Council, it added.

Rezaei-Kouchi said countries that caused Iran damage during the war would not be permitted passage until they compensate Iran.

He added that states using the waterway would have to pay fees in Iranian rials, with 30% of the revenue allocated to the armed forces and 70% to people’s livelihoods.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he held a constructive conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday about the evolving regional situation.

Sharif said he assured Pezeshkian that Pakistan remained fully committed to its role as a facilitator of lasting peace and regional stability.

He added that he shared insights from his recent engagements with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), in an advisory update, raised the threat level for the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman to “critical.”

UKMTO said the Strait of Hormuz faced risks including navigation interference, blockade enforcement, mine reports and residual kinetic threats, with a risk of attack or miscalculation.

It added that the Gulf of Oman remained at critical level, citing previous projectile and drone strikes and a high naval presence.

Ahead of US-Iran talks in Islamabad, Iran has agreed to hand over all of its enriched uranium stockpile, though it is still unclear who would receive the material, Israel Hayom reported, citing three US and regional diplomatic sources.

The report said possible recipients included Russia, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) or the United States itself.

It added that the United States was demanding to participate in the operation to locate the enriched uranium, but Iran had not yet agreed and was prepared to allow only IAEA personnel to do so.