Assault on vessel overshadows preparation for round two of US-Iran dialogue

ISLAMABAD / WASHINGTON: Extra­ordinary security measures are in place in the twin cities as the second round of peace talks between the US and Iran is expected to be held this week in Islam­abad, amid brinkmanship from both sides.

In a late-night announcement, President Donald Trump, who had earlier confirmed that talks would take place in Islamabad on Monday or Tuesday, said the US Navy had targeted an Iranian ship attempting to evade its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

He claimed that a US guided missile destroyer “stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room” after the Iranian vessel ignored the US warnings to stop, adding that the ship was in the custody of US Marines.

However, Iranian media says the US attempt to seize Iranian commercial ship was “thwarted”. Semi-official Mehr news agency offered an account of an incident in the Sea of Oman that appears to differ from what Trump said regarding the US seizing the Iranian vessel. The American forces “deployed to the waters surrounding the Sea of Oman and opened fire on an Iranian merchant ship to force it to return to Iranian territorial waters. However, with the timely presence and rapid res­ponse of the IRGC naval units in support of the Iranian ship, the Americans were forced to retreat and flee the area”, the statement read. The Iranian media statement did not name the ship in question.

“My Representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan — They will be there tomorrow evening, for Negotiations,” President Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday. But it remained unclear who would head the US team.

During the first round of talks, US Vice President JD Vance led the delegation. But for this round, there was no clarity whether he would be coming to Islamabad, particularly due to contradictory statements by the US administration. Initially, President Trump said his vice president would not lead the delegation over security concerns. “It’s only because of security,” he told ABC News. “JD’s great.”

The White House quickly flipped the script when asked about those comments.

Some media reports claimed that the US Secret Service did not want the vice president and the president in the same place at the same time. In case of an emergency, the vice president replaces the president. President Trump has already indicated that he might travel to Pakistan should a final deal materialise.

Even before the US attack on the Iranian vessel, confusion also prevailed regarding Iran’s participation in the talks. State media IRNA reported that Tehran would not participate in the dialogue, citing “US excessive demands, unreasonable and unrealistic expectations, frequent shifts in positions, continuous contradictions, and the so-called naval blockade, which violates ceasefire understanding along with threatening rhetoric, have so far hindered progress in the negotiations.

Under these conditions, the outlook for constructive talks remains bleak.” The IRNA called the news published by the US “part of their propaganda campaign and a blame game aimed at pressuring Iran”.

Earlier, the Tasnim news agency reported that there had been no decision to send a delegation for talks while the blockade was in place.

In a tweet in the early hours of Monday, Iran’s envoy to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam wrote: “As long as the naval blockade remains, faultlines remain.”

“You cannot keep violating the international law, double down on your blockade, threaten Iran with further war crimes, insist on unreasonable demands, pace out with rhetorics and pretend to be pursuing ‘Diplomacy’,” he wrote on X.

With the ceasefire agreed upon in Islamabad a couple of weeks ago set to expire on Wednesday, President Trump earlier appeared to double down on his rhetoric, and warned Tehran of dire consequences for failing to strike a deal. We are “offering a very fair and reasonable deal, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single power plant, and every single bridge, in Iran”, he posted on social media.

“NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!” “They’ll come down fast, they’ll come down easy and, if they don’t take the deal, it will be my honor to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran, by other presidents, for the last 47 years,” he said.

Earlier, the US president accused Iran of violating the ceasefire. “Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz, a total violation of our ceasefire agreement!” he wrote in Sunday morning’s post. “That wasn’t nice, was it?”

Meanwhile, the federal capital and the garrison city were placed under extraordinary security, as authorities sealed the high security Red Zone and other key routes, besides suspending public transport in both cities ahead of the expected talks.

A Cabinet Division notification declared that all offices located in the Red Zone would operate on ‘Work From Home’ basis today (Monday). The judiciary has also indicated that cases will not be heard today.

More than 10,000 security personnel, including commandos and snipers, had been deployed across Islamabad and Rawalpindi, besides separate arrangements at the Islamabad International Airport. Two luxury hotels were also vacated for the guests.

A comprehensive security plan came into force on April 19, involving pickets, route surveillance, intelligence gathering and deployment of bomb disposal squads. Around 67 entry points to the high-security zone had been closed, while strict route monitoring was being ensured from Koral to Faizabad.

Markets, marriage halls and roadside parking along key routes had been restricted while rangers and police had been deployed on rooftops, bridges and major arteries, supported by anti-riot units and plainclothes personnel. Streets have been barricaded across Rawalpindi, while the metro bus service, public and goods transport had been suspended. Due to the strict security measures, residents near the airbase had reportedly been ‘confined’ to their houses.

Similarly, several hiking trails in the Margalla Hills were also closed until further notice. According to the police, the restrictions were imposed due to the arrival of foreign delegations, with alternate traffic plans issued for citizens.