Iran-US war latest: Tehran warns it has ‘new cards to play’ on battlefield as Trump refuses to end Hormuz blockade

Xi Jinping has urged that the Strait of Hormuz stay open during a call with Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman.

During the call, Xi said: “The Strait of Hormuz ​should remain open to normal passage, as this serves the common interests of regional countries ‌and ⁠the international community.”

China advocates an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire, and insists on resolving conflicts in the Middle East through political and diplomatic ​channels, state news agency Xinhua cited Xi as saying.

His remarks come as tensions rise between the United States and Iran, with the ceasefire under strain after the US seized an Iranian ship and Iran signalled it may skip new talks.

On Tuesday, JD Vance is expected to lead the US delegation to Pakistan for a fresh round of talks as Iran is reportedly reconsidering its involvement in talks.

With the White House awaiting confirmation that Iran will attend peace talks in Islamabad, there are reports that officials in Tehran are facing pressure from the Revolutionary Guards to stick to a hard line.

Sources told Axios the powerful Iranian paramilitary wants there to be no new negotiations until the US ends its naval blockade.

In the end the decision is up to the supreme leader, while mediators from Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey have pushed Tehran to come to the table.

Donald Trump has warned Iran of “problems like they’ve never seen before” if it does not agree to a deal.

In an interview on The John Fredericks Show – a conservative radio show, Trump said: “They’re [Iran] going to negotiate. And if they don’t, they’re going to see problems like they’ve never seen before.

“And they’re going to negotiate, and hopefully they’ll make a fair deal, and they’ll build their country back up.”

Earlier, Trump said that it was “highly unlikely” he would extend the ceasefire if Tehran didn’t agree to talk.

Reports indicate Iran is reconsidering its involvement in a second round of talks in Pakistan.

JD Vance is expected to lead the US delegation to Pakistan on Tuesday if the talks look like they are going ahead.

Iran has condemned the US seizure of its cargo ship Touska and is demanding the crew be freed.

Iran’s foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns” what it described as “the illegal and brutal action” by US forces, and called for the “immediate release” of those onboard.

In a statement, the ministry said: “Without a doubt, the Islamic Republic of Iran will use all its capabilities to defend Iran’s national interests and security and to protect the rights and dignity of Iranians. It is obvious that the full responsibility for the further complication of the situation in the region lies with the US.”

The US, through US Central Command, says the ship was seized after it “attempted to violate the US naval blockade”.

US Central Command has shared images on social media showing what it says is an Iranian-flagged cargo ship, Touska, seized on Sunday after it “attempted to violate the US naval blockade”.

One photo shows thick black smoke rising from a container vessel, while another appears to show the same ship alongside a US military vessel.

Donald Trump said over the weekend that US marines intercepted the ship and took “full custody” of it in the Gulf of Oman after “blowing a hole in the engineroom”.

The US says it has already turned back 27 ships since the blockade began, as part of efforts to pressure Iran economically by restricting oil exports.

In response, Iran has warned it will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed until the blockade is lifted.

Donald Trump said that “Operation Midnight Hammer” – last year’s US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities – resulted in a “complete and total obliteration” of the country’s uranium enrichment sites.

Writing on Truth Social, he added that “digging it out will be a long and difficult process” after the June airstrikes, and criticised CNN and what he called “other corrupt Media Networks and Platforms” for not giving “our great aviators the credit they deserve”.

Iran is reconsidering joining another round of peace talks with the US, with a senior official saying Tehran is “positively reviewing its participation in peace talks”, though no final decision has been made, Reuters reported.

The shift comes after Pakistan’s mediation efforts were described as “positive”, especially in addressing the US naval blockade, which Iran sees as a major obstacle.

Iran had turned down a US proposal for a second round of direct peace talks ahead of the ceasefire deadline on Wednesday.

Its foreign ministry said it had “no plan for the next round of negotiations”, while also accusing the US of being “not serious” about pursuing diplomacy.

JD Vance is expected to lead a US delegation to Islamabad for possible peace talks with Iran, but only if Tehran agrees to attend.

The talks come just as a fragile ceasefire – following weeks of US-Israel bombing – nears its deadline, with Donald Trump warning he is unlikely to extend it further.

It was unclear if Iran would attend the talks after its president warned that there remained a “deep historical mistrust” of the US. Masoud Pezeshkian said: “Iranians do not submit to force.”

Previous negotiations failed because Iran refused US demands to stop nuclear enrichment and give up its stockpile of enriched uranium, while Iran insists it won’t negotiate under pressure or threats.

Meanwhile, tensions remain high on the ground: the US has blockaded Iranian ports, Iran has disrupted the Strait of Hormuz, shipping has slowed, and oil prices have risen.

Donald Trump has said the US will continue blocking Iranian ports until Iran agrees to a deal, claiming the blockade is “absolutely destroying Iran”.

The US has already turned back ships and even seized an Iranian vessel, which Tehran has called “piracy”.

At the same time, Iran has been restricting access to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil route, pushing energy prices higher.

Both sides accuse each other of violating a fragile ceasefire that is about to expire.