A ship ran aground in the Strait of Hormuz after failing to follow Iran’s approved route through the waterway, Iranian state television reported on Wednesday. The report identified the affected vessel as a foreign container ship but offered no further immediate details.
The state TV report appeared aimed at reinforcing Tehran’s claims since the US-Iran war that it controls the strait, which has long been regarded by the international community as an international waterway and through which around a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas passed during peacetime.
It also came as US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, were in Doha, Qatar, for talks on reaching a permanent end to the Iran war.
Technical talks between diplomats began on Wednesday in Qatar, according to two regional officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions were being held behind closed doors. Negotiators are aiming to finalise the technical details needed to pave the way for senior leaders to seal an agreement, although differences over the strait and Lebanon remain significant obstacles.
Iran offered no immediate acknowledgement that the negotiations had begun.
Iran and the United States agreed, as part of an interim deal, to allow ships to pass free of charge for 60 days. However, Tehran insisted it must control vessels' routes and later impose transit fees, overturning decades of established practice in the waterway. The US and many Gulf Arab states have said they will not accept the charges. An attempt by Oman and a UN agency to establish a new route closer to Oman's coast triggered attacks across the Middle East over the weekend, highlighting the tensions still gripping the region.
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 vessels must 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 attempting to pass through the strait without Tehran's permission, including one carrying crude oil from Qatar.
Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Qatar on Tuesday ahead of talks mediated by Qatar. While Iran has insisted it had no plans to meet the Americans directly, its comments left open the possibility of so-called "indirect negotiations", in which the two countries exchange messages through Qatari officials. That has occurred several times during negotiations under the second Trump administration.
Qatar acknowledged early on Wednesday morning that the Americans had met its foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. A statement from Qatar's Foreign Ministry said the men discussed the interim deal "along with the efforts aimed at promoting security and stability in the region through dialogue and diplomacy".
Lebanon was also discussed, another key issue in any final agreement, as Iran has insisted that all fighting between the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah and Israeli military forces must end.
Iran has also called on Israel to withdraw from the territory it currently occupies in southern Lebanon. Israel insists it must retain control of the area and preserve its freedom to strike Hezbollah, which has been carrying out attacks in 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 efforts to reach a permanent end to the war were continuing. "We are engaged in dialogue, but if they refuse to implement what has been agreed through dialogue, we are prepared for war," Qalibaf said.
Although shipping traffic through the strait fell after the weekend's attacks, more countries have reported that their vessels have now departed safely.
Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that 10 of the 11 Thai-flagged vessels, or vessels chartered by Thai operators, had safely left the Strait of Hormuz. South Korean officials said all but two of the country's 26 stranded vessels had also departed safely.
Also on Wednesday, Iraqi authorities shot down a small drone over Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, home to numerous embassies and government buildings, according to two Iraqi security officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly.
One official said the drone was unarmed and was likely being used for surveillance. No group immediately claimed responsibility.
After the US and Israel launched their war against Iran in late February, Iranian-backed Iraqi militias carried out frequent attacks on US military and diplomatic facilities in Iraq. The drone shot down overnight on Wednesday was the first security incident in Baghdad since the US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire.