A U.S. negotiating team is headed to Pakistan Monday for a second round of peace talks with Iran — which says it might not even show up.
Tehran's reticence comes after the U.S. on Sunday fired on and seized one of its cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz as part of Washington's blockade on Iranian vessels in the vital waterway, and just two days before the ceasefire is set to expire.
A video released by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) shows the operation, with Marines descending from a helicopter by rope to board the vessel, the Touska, after "guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance…disabled Touska's propulsion."
President Trump said Sunday the U.S. military had "stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room" after the ship failed to heed repeated warnings.
Trump said Marines then took control of the vessel and moved to investigate its cargo. He said the Iranian flagged ship was under the existing U.S. Treasury Department sanctions.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned it will take action against the U.S. military for the seizure of that ship, without elaborating.
Oil prices surged in reaction to these developments, rising more than 5.3 % at $95.62 a barrel on Monday from Friday's close at $90.38 a barrel.
The April 8 ceasefire agreement between the U.S.-Israel and Iran is set to expire on Wednesday.
Here's more news from the Middle East war on Monday:
Talks or no talks?
Preparations to host Iranian and U.S. negotiating teams were underway in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, on Monday, despite questions over whether Iran would attend.
Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Monday Tehran had no plans yet regarding a second round of talks, accusing the U.S. of lacking "seriousness in pursuing a diplomatic process," according to Iran's state news agency, IRNA.
Trump announced Sunday that a negotiating team was headed to Islamabad on Monday evening and warned Iran against walking away from negotiations.
Trump said "We're 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. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!"
The first round of peace talks led by Vice President Vance just over a week ago broke down, with Vance accusing Iran of being unwilling to accept Washington's terms on Iran's plans for nuclear enrichment.
A poll released this week by NBC shows Trump's approval rating has hit a new low, with 63% of those surveyed disapproving of the president's performance.
Two-thirds of respondents disapproved of Trump's handling of the Iran conflict and inflation, the poll showed.
Chinese condemnation
Iran ally China has weighed in on the U.S. seizure of the Touska, according to the Associated Press, expressing concern over "the forcible interception" and calling for a resumption of peace talks.
China is heavily reliant on Iranian oil imports.
Death toll in Iran
Iran officials said Monday at least 3,375 people had been killed during the war.
Abbas Masjedi, the head of Iran's Legal Medicine Organization, didn't give separate figures for civilian and security force casualties.
He said 383 of the dead were children under 18 years old, according to Iran's Mizan news agency.
Lebanon ceasefire holding
The temporary ceasefire to pause the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon is holding, though shaky.
In the south, where the Israeli military is still occupying a large swath of land, Israel has carried out a number of airstrikes against what it called "terrorist activity."
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon says Israel can continue military activity in self-defense.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for an explosion that killed at least one Israeli soldier over the weekend and said the explosive device was planted before the ceasefire.
Jane Arraf in Amman, Jordan, Aya Batrawy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg contributed to this report.
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