TEHRAN — Iran has adopted a firm stance as the deadline of a fragile two-week ceasefire with the US looms amid Washington's breach of the truce.

The ceasefire was reached on April 8 after President Donald Trump accepted Iran’s 10-point plan following 39 days of a joint US–Israeli war that began on February 28.

Three days after the announcement of the ceasefire, Tehran and Washington held talks in Islamabad, mediated by Pakistan, aimed at ending the war. But the negotiations ended without a deal over what Iran called the US “excessive” demands.

The US delegation in the Islamabad talks, which were held on April 11 and 12, was led by Vice President JD Vance, with Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, also in attendance among other US officials.

The Iranian delegation was headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, and included senior officials such as Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Iran’s 10-point plan includes reparations for damages caused by the conflict, guarantees that the US and Israel will not attack Iran again, and the lifting of sanctions. Iran also agreed to ease transit through the Strait of Hormuz during the ceasefire.

Naval blockade and seizure

But in violation of the ceasefire, President Trump imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports. He says the US blockade of Iran's ports "will remain in full force" until Tehran reaches a deal with Washington.

In response to Trump’s breach of the truce, Iran on Saturday once again announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, in response to the US violation of the ceasefire, including the continuation of the blockade on Iranian ports.

Since the outset of the joint US–Israel war on Iran on February 28, Iran has not allowed vessels affiliated with adversaries to pass through the strategic waterway. 

The US seizure of an Iranian cargo vessel over the weekend heightened tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz and fresh talks. 

American forces attacked the Iranian container ship Touska on Sunday, which was sailing toward Iran through the Gulf of Oman. US Central Command (CENTCOM) posted a video showing Marines boarding the vessel. The footage shows Marines deploying from the USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship by helicopter, then descending by rope onto the container ship and seizing it.

According to MarineTraffic, the container ship measures nearly 300 meters in length and more than 30 meters in width. The vessel departed Port Klang in Malaysia eight days earlier, according to VesselFinder, and was headed for the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.

Trump said the ship was seized as part of his self-imposed naval blockade on Iranian ports.

“Today (Sunday), an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to get past our naval blockade, and it did not go well for them,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that the US now has “full custody of the ship.”

Iran strongly condemned the seizure of the vessel.
“The aggressor United States violated the ceasefire and committed maritime piracy by firing at an Iranian merchant ship in the waters of the Gulf of Oman and landing a number of its marines on the deck of the vessel, disabling its navigation system,” said a spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which coordinates operations between Iran’s Army and the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).

Lieutenant-Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari vowed "decisive action" against the US “armed piracy.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson also told reporters on Monday in his weekly press briefing that the US attack on the Iranian ship is “a violation of the ceasefire and constitutes an act of aggression.”

“From the early days of the ceasefire, we were faced with the US's bad faith, contradictory statements, followed by a naval blockade,” Esmaeil Baghaei said.

China also condemned the US seizure, describing it as a “forced interception.”

Domestic pressure on Trump

President Trump has so far failed to open the Strait of Hormuz through military action and threats.

During the nearly 40-day war, the US and Israel bombed Iran’s military and nuclear sites, hospitals, schools, energy infrastructure, and residential areas, killing nearly 3,400 people. The US and Israel also assassinated Iran’s Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and senior Iranian military commanders, but they failed to achieve their main goals. These objectives mainly focused on destroying Iran’s military capabilities and changing the Iranian leadership structure in their favor.

Despite the war, Iran maintained its retaliatory attacks against adversaries in the region. The leadership structure continues to follow the path of the Leader, and people continue to hold rallies at night to express allegiance to the Islamic Republic and denounce the US–Israel aggression.

Iran has entered talks with the US based on mistrust because during the latest war and in June last year, Tehran and Washington were in talks when the US and Israel launched war on Iran.
Nonetheless, Iran says its battlefield successes against the enemies have pushed Washington to hold talks with Tehran. Iran says that despite the mistrust, it holds talks with the US based on its national interests.

Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security Committee, says that Iran’s actions in the talks with the US complement its military achievements.

“We see the current negotiations as a continuation of the battlefield, and we see nothing other than the battlefield in this,” he said. The lawmaker added, “If it yields achievements that sustain those of the battlefield, then the negotiation arena is also an opportunity for us… But not if the Americans intend to turn this into a field of excessive demands, based on their bullying approach.”

Economic and strategic fallout

Trump on Sunday once again threatened to destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran if no peace deal is reached. He repeated similar threats before the two sides reached the ceasefire.

The war has not only drawn international reactions but has also damaged Trump’s standing at home.

According to a new NBC News poll, the US president’s job approval rating has hit a second-term low of 37 percent, driven by his handling of the war on Iran.

The findings, released on Sunday, suggested that 63 percent of US adults disapproved of Trump’s job performance, with 50 percent expressing strong disapproval.

Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has also pushed energy prices higher, which has directly affected American citizens as they have to pay more for gas compared to the period before the war.

Now, it seems that Trump tries to create a fabricated sense of victory through his threats to find an off-ramp. Trump stands accused of making miscalculations and underestimating Iran’s military power and its resilience.

For now, as Iranian officials have said, the US should drop its excessive demands and adopt a realistic approach if it wants the Islamabad talks to bear fruit. The ball is in the US court to decide whether it wants to de-escalate the situation or fan the flames of war again.