Tehran says ‘no plans’ for new talks after US seizes Iranian cargo ship

US seizes Iranian ship: Tehran cuts nuclear talks after cargo ship raid

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

Iranian officials announced Monday they see “no grounds” for fresh negotiations with Washington after U.S. forces boarded and redirected an Iranian-flagged merchant vessel in the Gulf of Oman.

The Revolutionary Guard-linked ship Behshad was diverted to an American port under escort, Iranian state media reported, citing what it called a “blatant act of piracy” on the high seas.

The seizure marks the first open U.S. cargo grab since President Donald Trump returned to office and derails months of quiet diplomacy aimed at curbing Tehran’s uranium enrichment.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters the takeover happened Thursday night when “U.S. Navy elements” intercepted the Behshad 50 nautical miles southeast of the Omani port of Sohar. He said armed personnel rappelled onto the deck, ordered the 18-member Iranian crew into a sealed compartment, then steered the vessel toward an undisclosed U.S. facility. Satellite images released by Tehran show the 155-meter freighter flying Iranian colors being shadowed by the destroyer USS Cole.

Washington has yet to confirm the operation, but two Pentagon officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly, told Reuters an “interdiction” took place after intelligence indicated the ship was transferring liquid cargo to smaller craft suspected of supplying Houthi forces in Yemen. One official said the vessel now sits under U.S. control in the Arabian Sea.

The incident sent crude prices up 2.4% to $78.90 a barrel on fears of tit-for-tat action in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil flows. Brent futures added $1.82, the biggest intraday gain since February.

Behshad has been on a U.S. Treasury blacklist since 2021 for what Washington calls its role in ferrying Iranian drones and missile components to Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The ship changed its name from Saviz in 2022 and was previously described by Iranian media as a floating repair base. Tehran insists the vessel is a legitimate commercial carrier helping with anti-piracy patrols.

Speaking at his weekly press conference, Baghaei warned that “any continuation of this aggressive path will receive a proportionate response.” He gave no details but said naval commanders were authorized to protect Iranian shipping “by all available means.” State television broadcast footage of speedboats circling a replica aircraft carrier in the Gulf, part of a Revolutionary Guard exercise conducted days before the reported seizure.

The U.S. action comes two weeks after Trump vowed to “choke off” Iranian oil exports until a tougher nuclear deal is reached. Sanctions enforcement had already cut Iranian exports to a two-year low of 1.1 million barrels per day, tanker-tracking data show. Boarding a flagged vessel is a more muscular step that signals readiness to treat Iranian commercial ships as extensions of the Revolutionary Guard, analysts said.

Israeli officials welcomed the move. Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on social media that “Iran must pay for financing terror” and urged Washington to impound further ships. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, long targets of Houthi missiles, privately conveyed support through back channels, diplomats told GlobalBeat.

China’s Foreign Ministry called for restraint and urged the United States to “avoid further escalation.” Beijing imported 1.05 million bpd of Iranian crude last month, customs data show, most of it disguised as Malaysian supply. Russia’s embassy in Tehran issued a statement condemning “unlawful interference in free navigation” but stopped short of promising material support.

European powers who spent two years trying to revive the 2015 nuclear accord now face a dead end. France’s foreign ministry said it was “concerned by the risk of a regional naval confrontation,” while Britain stressed the need for diplomatic channels. Both countries suspended bilateral nuclear discussions with Tehran last month after Iran barred several inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Thomas Juneau, a Gulf security analyst at the University of Ottawa, said the boarding pushes Tehran toward brinkmanship. “Iran’s playbook is to escalate at sea when talks collapse,” he said, pointing to 2019 mine attacks and the 2022 capture of two Greek tankers. “Shipping is the pressure valve the West never fully locked down.”

Chances of reviving indirect talks in Oman now look slim. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had agreed in principle to meet U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff this month, diplomats said, but Tehran rescinded the invitation after news of the Behshad broke. A senior Iranian official told GlobalBeat “the atmosphere is poisoned” and that no new date would be set unless the ship and crew are freed unconditionally.

Background

Iran and the United States have not had formal diplomatic ties since 1980, following the storming of the U.S. embassy in Tehran. Sanctions have expanded from an initial embargo on Iranian oil to sweeping measures covering banking, metals and shipping insurance. The 2015 nuclear deal offered relief in return for curbs on enrichment, but Trump, in his first term, withdrew in 2018 and imposed “maximum pressure.” Tehran responded by breaching enrichment limits and building a stockpile of uranium enriched to 60%, close to weapons grade.

Boardings of Iranian vessels are rare but not unprecedented. In August 2020 the United States seized four tankers carrying Iranian gasoline to Venezuela, transferring the cargo to other ships under a civil-forfeiture order. British marines also impounded the Grace 1 off Gibraltar in 2019, claiming it was bound for Syria in breach of EU sanctions. Each episode triggered threats of retaliation and short-lived spikes in freight rates.

What’s Next

The United States must decide within 14 days whether to auction the Behshad’s cargo or release the vessel, under maritime law procedures posted by the Fifth Fleet. Tehran has demanded immediate restitution and warned commercial insurers they will be barred from Iranian ports if they cover U.S. seizures. Analysts expect Iran to respond asymmetrically by harassing tankers linked to U.S. allies or accelerating Houthi strikes on Red Sea shipping, moves that could push insurance premiums above last year’s peak.

Washington’s gamble is that economic pain will force Tehran back to the table before November, when Iran is scheduled to expand centrifuge capacity at its Fordow site. If talks stay frozen, watch for Iran to install advanced IR-6 machines and edge toward the 90% enrichment threshold that defines weapons-grade material, crossing a line Trump has warned would invite military action.