Foreign container ship runs aground in Strait of Hormuz, says Iran
A foreign container ship ran aground in the Strait of Hormuz after reportedly avoiding Iran's approved route, according to Iranian state television. The incident came as US-Iran technical talks began in Qatar amid continuing disputes over shipping, regional security and Lebanon
Dubai: A ship ran aground in the Strait of Hormuz after not following Iran’s approved route through the water, Iranian state television reported Wednesday. The report identified the affected vessel as a foreign container ship, but offered no other immediate details.
The Iranian state TV report appeared aimed at underlining the claims Tehran has made since the US-Iran war to control the strait, which has long been considered by the world as an international waterway and through which a fifth of all oil and natural gas passed in peacetime.
It also came as US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, were in Doha, Qatar, for talks on reaching a permanent end to the Iran war.
Technical talks between diplomats began Wednesday in Qatar, said two regional officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door discussions. Those discussions see negotiators aiming to nail down specifics to pave the way for top leaders to seal an agreement, though differences over the strait and Lebanon still loom large.
Iran offered no immediate acknowledgment of the negotiations starting.
The Strait of Hormuz is a key sticking point in talks
Iran and the United States agreed as part of an interim deal to allow ships to pass unchallenged for 60 days, but Tehran insisted it must control the routes of the vessels and later charge fees for passage, upending decades of practice in the waterway. The US and many Gulf Arab states say they will not agree to the charges. An effort by Oman and a UN agency to launch a new route near Oman’s shore sparked attacks across the Mideast over the weekend, highlighting the tensions still gripping the region.
Iranian state TV said the ship “ran aground with its cargo because of shallow waters along the route it had chosen and was unable to continue sailing.” It said shippers needed to follow the instructions of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in the strait.
The Guard’s navy “has repeatedly warned captains, shipowners and officials of shipping companies around the world that any entry or exit through routes other than the ‘Route of Authority’ in the Persian Gulf could lead to irreparable incidents,” it said. The report did not mention the two ships Iran attacked in recent days for trying to head out through the strait without Tehran’s permission, including one that was carrying crude oil from Qatar.
US negotiators are in Qatar and Iranians are expected
Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Qatar on Tuesday ahead of talks with Qatar acting as mediator. While Iran has insisted it planned no meetings with the Americans, its comments left open the possibility of so-called “indirect negotiations”, in which the two nations pass messages through Qatari officials. That has happened multiple times during negotiations in the second Trump administration.
Qatar early Wednesday morning acknowledged a meeting between the Americans and its Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. A readout from Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said the men discussed the interim deal “along with the efforts aimed at promoting security and stability in the region through dialogue and diplomacy.” Lebanon also was discussed, another key point in a final deal, as Iran has insisted that all fighting between the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah and Israeli military forces must end.
Iran also has called for Israel to give up the land it occupies in southern Lebanon. Israel insists it must hold the territory and have a free hand to attack Hezbollah, which has been launching attacks into northern Israel.
Iran did not immediately acknowledge any talks on Wednesday. However, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a key negotiator, told Iranian state television overnight that work continues to try to reach a permanent end to the war.
“We are engaged in dialogue, but if they refuse to implement what has been agreed through dialogue, we are prepared for war,” Qalibaf said.
More ships get out of Strait of Hormuz
While ship traffic in the strait dropped after the weekend’s attacks, more countries say their vessels have gotten out.
Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that 10 out of 11 Thai-flagged vessels, or vessels chartered by Thai operators, have departed the Strait of Hormuz safely. South Korean officials said all but two of the country’s 26 vessels that were stranded have left safely.
Iraq shoots down drone over Baghdad
Also Wednesday, Iraqi authorities shot down a small drone over Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, where many embassies and government buildings are located, two Iraqi security officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. One of the officials said the drone was unarmed and likely was being used for surveillance. No group immediately claimed the drone.
After the US and Israel launched their war on Iran in late February, Iranian-backed Iraqi militias launched frequent attacks on US military and diplomatic facilities in Iraq. The drone shot down overnight Wednesday was the first security incident in Baghdad since the US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire.
