TEHRAN (dpa): Iran's Navy has warned a US warship against transiting the Strait of Hormuz, threatening an attack if it proceeds, as Tehran and Washington opened peace talks in Pakistan, Iranian state media reported on Saturday.
Forces of the Islamic Republic were closely monitoring the US destroyer, the Tasnim News Agency reported. If the vessel continued on its course, it would face an attack, the report said.
Iran's delegation, which began negotiations with the United States in Islamabad on Saturday afternoon, lodged a complaint with mediator Pakistan and demanded that the US warship leave the strait.
Earlier, Axios reporter Barak Ravid cited a US government official as saying that "several" US naval vessels had transited the Strait of Hormuz without coordination with Iran on Saturday.
Data from ship-tracking service VesselFinder showed a US government vessel of an unspecified type - as is common for military ships - in the Gulf.
The Strait of Hormuz links the Gulf with the Indian Ocean and is a vital route connecting major oil-producing countries in the region to global markets.
According to the International Energy Agency, nearly 30% of the world’s seaborne oil passed through the strait in 2023.
Iran has taken control of the waterway since the start of the war with the US and Israel, and its reopening is central point of contention in the talks in Pakistan. -- dpa
