U.S. Seizes Iranian Ship, Pakistan Peace Talks Teeter
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- U.S. forces seized the Iranian-flagged cargo ship Touska in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, with Marines descending from helicopters to board after the USS Spruance disabled the vessel's propulsion.
- Trump said the military "blew a hole in the engine room" after the ship ignored repeated warnings, and that the vessel was under existing U.S. Treasury Department sanctions.
- Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned it would take action against the U.S. military, while Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran had "no plans yet" for a second round of peace talks in Pakistan, accusing the U.S. of lacking "seriousness."
- Trump threatened on social media that if Iran rejects the deal, the U.S. will "knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran."
- Vice President Vance leads the U.S. delegation to Islamabad with envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner; Pakistan has sealed its high-security Red Zone and blocked multiple routes in preparation.
- Trump said the U.S.-Iran ceasefire announced April 7 will expire Wednesday night Eastern time, calling it "highly unlikely" he will extend it.
- Iran's Legal Medicine Organization reported at least 3,375 people have been killed in the country since U.S. and Israeli strikes began seven weeks ago, including 383 children under 18.
Why it matters: The U.S. conducted a kinetic seizure of an Iranian vessel while Iran refuses to commit to peace talks and a ceasefire Trump called "highly unlikely" to extend expires Wednesday — a conflict that has killed at least 3,375 in Iran, including 383 children, over seven weeks.
