DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A new suspected attack targeting an unidentified northbound cargo ship has been documented off the coast of Sirik, Iran, east of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), Britain’s leading maritime security monitoring agency, announced Sunday. This incident brings the total number of maritime attacks recorded in and around the world’s most critical energy chokepoint to at least two dozen since the outbreak of the ongoing Iran war, and marks the first reported assault in the region after a lull that began April 22, when another cargo vessel came under fire. All crew members aboard the targeted ship emerged unharmed, UKMTO confirmed, though no group has yet stepped forward to claim responsibility for the attack. The overall threat rating for commercial shipping transiting the area remains classified as critical, as Tehran has effectively disrupted normal traffic through the strait through a campaign of targeted attacks and threats against passing vessels. For months, Iranian officials have maintained that any non-U.S. and non-Israeli flagged vessels may safely pass the waterway only upon payment of a transit toll. The small assault craft used in these attacks, many operated by Iranian forces and outfitted only with twin outboard motors, are notoriously agile, difficult for international naval forces to detect, and have been linked to multiple assaults on commercial shipping in recent months. Tensions in the region remain high even as a fragile three-week ceasefire between U.S.-led forces and Iran has largely held. U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters Saturday that additional military strikes against Iranian targets remain on the table should diplomacy fail to resolve the standoff. Parallel to the maritime security escalation, Iran has submitted a new 14-point peace proposal to the United States through diplomatic intermediary Pakistan, which hosted direct, face-to-face negotiations between the two countries last month. The proposal, reported by Iranian state-linked security outlets Nour News and Tasnim, aims to reach a full end to hostilities within a 30-day timeline rather than just extend the current ceasefire. It calls for the U.S. to lift all sweeping economic sanctions on Iran, end the ongoing American naval blockade of Iranian ports, withdraw all U.S. military forces from the broader Middle East region, and force an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon. Notably absent from the proposal is any mention of Iran’s controversial nuclear program and its stockpiles of enriched uranium – the core longstanding point of contention between Tehran and Western powers, which Iran has indicated it prefers to address in later negotiations. Pakistan continues to serve as a key go-between for the two adversaries, with the country’s prime minister, foreign minister and army chief all pushing for sustained direct dialogue between Washington and Tehran, according to two unnamed Pakistani officials authorized to discuss the sensitive diplomacy. On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Abbas Araghchi also held talks with his Omani counterpart Badr al-Busaidi, whose government oversaw previous rounds of pre-war negotiations between the two sides. The strategic Strait of Hormuz, located at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, normally carries roughly 20% of the world’s daily traded oil and natural gas, alongside critical fertilizer shipments that global food markets depend on. Since the outbreak of war on February 28, Iran’s tightening grip on the waterway has sent shockwaves through global energy and commodity markets. During a visit to the strategically vital Larak Island port facilities Sunday, Iranian deputy parliament speaker Ali Nikzad reaffirmed Tehran’s uncompromising stance, saying, “Iran will not back down from our position on the Strait of Hormuz, and it will not return to its prewar conditions.” Nikzad does not hold formal decision-making authority in the Iranian legislature, but his comments signal the hardline position popular among Iranian political elites. The U.S. has responded by warning global shipping companies that any form of payment to Iran for safe transit – including digital assets – could expose them to harsh U.S. sanctions. Compounding pressure on Tehran, the U.S. naval blockade implemented April 13 has cut off most of Iran’s oil export revenue, a critical lifeline for the country’s already ailing economy. U.S. Central Command announced Saturday that 48 commercial tankers have already been ordered to turn back from Iranian ports. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News Sunday that Iran has collected less than $1.3 million in total transit tolls to date – a tiny fraction of the country’s pre-war daily oil export earnings. “They’re going to have to start shutting in wells, which we think could happen in the next week,” Bessent said, noting that Iran’s onshore oil storage facilities are rapidly filling to capacity. Iran’s domestic economic situation continues to deteriorate rapidly, with the national currency the rial hitting new record lows against the U.S. dollar Sunday. On the second day of Iran’s working week, the dollar traded at 1,840,000 rials in Tehran’s central Ferdowsi Street currency exchange, a sharp drop from the already record low of 1.3 million rials per dollar recorded last December. At that time, the currency collapse sparked widespread nationwide protests over the soaring cost of living. Iranian markets remain deeply unstable, with prices for basic consumer goods rising on a daily basis, and local media reports indicate that dozens of factories have failed to renew worker contracts after the Iranian new year in March, leaving thousands unemployed. Yousef Pezeshkian, son and senior adviser to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, acknowledged the stalemate in a Telegram post over the weekend, writing that both the United States and Iran continue to view themselves as the war’s victor and remain unwilling to make concessions. In a separate development Saturday, the Norwegian Nobel Committee issued an urgent public appeal for Iran to immediately allow imprisoned 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to transfer to Tehran to receive specialized care from her personal medical team, after a sharp deterioration in the human rights lawyer’s health. The committee confirmed it is in regular contact with Mohammadi’s family and legal team, and warned that the activist’s life remains in imminent danger. Mohammadi, who is imprisoned in Zanjan prison in northwestern Iran, fainted twice in custody Friday, and was admitted to a local hospital, according to her personal foundation. Her legal team has said she is suspected to have suffered a heart attack in late March. This report included contributions from Associated Press correspondent Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, with additional reporting from Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Pakistan.
A cargo ship near Strait of Hormuz reports being attacked as Iran makes new peace proposal
