Vessel struck in Strait of Hormuz, UKMTO says, as prospects for U.S.-Iran diplomacy appear elusive

A vessel was struck in the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said Sunday, as direct negotiations between the U.S. and Iran appeared no nearer to resuming.

The British maritime security alert service said in a post on X that it received a report of the attack late on Saturday by an unknown projectile while the vessel was transiting the Strait.

A fire broke out onboard, and local authorities were on the scene helping to evacuate crew members, UKMTO said.

Meanwhile, a senior Iranian official dismissed hopes of fresh talks.

"No negotiations. Until Iran's terms are met, talks are futile," Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament's national security committee, said in a post on X.

But Iran has been reaching out to neighboring countries, despite months of striking them in retaliation for U.S. attacks.

A senior Iranian government official and Gulf diplomat told MS NOW that officials from Iran and Gulf countries would meet in Oman's capital, Muscat, on Monday to sign an agreement establishing an Iran-Oman shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.

The official added that there are no current negotiations taking place with the U.S.

Speaking at the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Friday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country will not surrender, adding that it has resisted aggression from the U.S. and Israel.

"Iran has successfully stood against Israel and the U.S.," Pezeshkian said.

"Since we are seeking truth and justice, we will not yield in front of bullying arrogance," he added.

Pezeshkian's comments over the weekend came on the heels of U.S. President Donald Trump's assertion that Iran would have wiped out Israel and the Middle East, and started hitting U.S. cities, if Washington had not taken military action against Iran.

"If I had it to do again, I would do exactly what I did," Trump said on Thursday.

There have been numerous tit-for-tat attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks.

U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, said on Wednesday it destroyed 10 Iranian tankers the preceding week.

On Saturday, CENTCOM said that its forces have redirected 100 commercial vessels over the past 60 days since it resumed a naval blockade against Iran.

"ZERO ships have passed through the blockade without U.S. forces allowing," CENTCOM said in a post on X.

The war in Iran will likely end soon after November's midterm elections, Trump said Saturday. He also predicted that energy prices would fall sharply once that happens.

"I think very soon, I think it'll be right after the midterms, actually," Trump said on a trip to Ireland when asked by reporters when the Iran war is likely to end. "I would say shortly, and oil will come tumbling down when that happens."

Oil prices retreated on Friday, but notched sharp weekly gains after soaring above $100 a barrel for the first time in months over the continuing unrest in the Middle East.

Brent crude oil futures, the global benchmark, settled down 2.8% at $104.61 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was down 2.4% to settle at $100.05 per barrel. On Thursday, Brent crude peaked at around $108 a barrel, while WTI hit more than $104.

Shipments of oil and other cargoes through the critical Strait of Hormuz separating Iran and Oman have slowed to a trickle since the U.S. and Israel began their war on Iran on Feb. 28, stranding ships and seafarers for weeks or months at a time.

Saudi Arabia has been relying on its East-West crude oil pipeline to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. But the kingdom said Friday that it shut the facility down as a precautionary measure after multiple attacks by drones launched from Iraq.

The drones targeted the pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions Thursday morning, causing fires and some damage, the Saudi government said. Several people were injured in the attacks, it said.