Ship Runs Aground in Strait of Hormuz  07/01 06:10

   

   DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- A ship ran aground in the Strait of 
Hormuz while using a route not approved by Iran, state television in Tehran 
reported Wednesday. The report identified the affected vessel as a foreign 
container ship, but offered no other immediate details.

   The report appeared aimed at underlining Tehran's claims to control the 
strait, which has long been considered by the world as an international 
waterway and saw a fifth of all oil and natural gas pass through it in 
peacetime.

   Iran has used its ability to choke off the narrow waterway as a key source 
of leverage since the war began, disrupting global markets for energy and other 
critical goods.

   The report also came as U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, 
U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, were in Doha, Qatar, for talks over 
reaching a permanent end to the Iran war.

   Technical talks between diplomats began Wednesday in Qatar, said two 
regional officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the 
closed-door discussions. Those discussions see negotiators aiming to nail down 
specifics to pave the way for top leaders to seal an agreement, though the 
differences over the strait and Lebanon still loom large.

   Iran offered no immediate acknowledgment of the negotiations starting.

   The Strait of Hormuz is a key sticking point in talks

   Iran and the United States agreed as part of an interim deal to allow ships 
to pass uncharged for 60 days, but Tehran insisted it must control the routes 
of the vessels and later charge fees for passage, upending decades of practice 
in the waterway. The U.S. and many Gulf Arab states say they won't agree to the 
charges. An effort by Oman and a U.N. agency to launch a new route near Oman's 
shore sparked attacks across the Mideast over last weekend, highlighting the 
tensions still gripping the Mideast.

   Iranian state TV said the ship "ran aground with its cargo because of 
shallow waters along the route it had chosen and was unable to continue 
sailing." It said shippers needed to follow the instructions of Iran's 
paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in the strait.

   The Guard's navy "has repeatedly warned captains, shipowners and officials 
of shipping companies around the world that any entry or exit through routes 
other than the 'Route of Authority' in the Persian Gulf could lead to 
irreparable incidents," it said. The report did not mention the two ships Iran 
attacked in recent days for daring to head out through the strait without 
Tehran's permission, including one that was carrying crude oil from Qatar.

   US negotiators are in Qatar and Iranians are expected

   Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Qatar on Tuesday ahead of talks with Qatar 
mediating. While Iran has insisted it planned no meetings with the Americans, 
their comments left open the possibility of so-called "indirect negotiations," 
in which the two nations pass messages through Qatari officials. That has 
happened multiple times during negotiations in the second Trump administration.

   Qatar early Wednesday morning acknowledged a meeting between the Americans 
and its foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. A readout 
from Qatar's Foreign Ministry said the men talked about the interim deal "along 
with the efforts aimed at promoting security and stability in the region 
through dialogue and diplomacy." Lebanon also was discussed, another key point 
in a final deal as Iran has been insisted that all fighting between the 
Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah and Israeli military forces end.

   Iran also has called for Israel to give up the land it occupies in southern 
Lebanon now. Israel insists it must hold the territory and have a free hand to 
attack Hezbollah, which has been launching attacks into northern Israel.

   Iran did not immediately acknowledge any talks on Wednesday. However, 
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a key negotiator, told 
Iranian state television overnight that work continues to try to reach a 
permanent end to the war.

   "We are engaged in dialogue, but if they refuse to implement what has been 
agreed through dialogue, we are prepared for war," Qalibaf said.

   More ships get out of Strait of Hormuz

   While ship traffic in the strait dropped after this weekend's attacks, more 
countries say their vessels have gotten out.

   Thailand's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that 10 out of 11 Thai-flagged 
vessels or vessels chartered by Thai operators have departed the Strait of 
Hormuz safely. South Korean officials say all but two of the country's 26 
vessels that were stranded have left safely.

   Iraq shoots down drone over Baghdad

   Also Wednesday, Iraqi authorities shot down a small drone over Baghdad's 
heavily fortified Green Zone, where many embassies and government buildings are 
located, two Iraqi security officials said. They spoke on condition of 
anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. One of the 
officials said the drone was unarmed and likely was being used for 
surveillance. No group immediately claimed the drone as theirs.

   After the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran in late February, 
Iranian-backed Iraqi militias launched frequent attacks on U.S. military and 
diplomatic facilities in Iraq. The drone being shot down overnight Wednesday 
was the first security incident in Baghdad since the U.S. and Iran agreed to a 
ceasefire.