BANDAR ABBAS, IRAN – SEPTEMBER 12: Daily life continues in the strategic port city of Bandar Abbas in the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing tensions between Iran and the United States, as Iranians spend time along the city’s waterfront at sunset in Bandar Abbas, Iran, on September 12, 2026. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images A ship was hit in the Strait of Hormuz, the UK’s Maritime Trade Operations Center said on Sunday, as direct negotiations between the United States and Iran appeared no closer to resuming. Britain’s maritime safety alert service said in a post on X that it received a report of the attack on Saturday night by an unknown projectile while the ship was transiting the Strait. A fire broke out on board and local authorities were on scene helping to evacuate crew members, UKMTO said. Meanwhile, a senior Iranian official dismissed hopes of new talks. “There are no negotiations. Until Iran’s terms are met, talks are useless,” 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 hitting them in retaliation for US attacks. The diplomat told MS NOW that officials from Iran and Gulf countries would meet in Muscat, the capital of Oman, on Monday to sign an agreement establishing a sea route between Iran and Oman through the Strait of Hormuz. The official added that no negotiations are currently taking place with the US. NEW DELHI, INDIA – SEPTEMBER 12: (—-FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY – CREDIT MANDATORY – ‘IRANIAN PRESIDENCY / BROCHURE’ – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CUSTOMERS—-) Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meets with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 12, 2026. (Iranian Presidency Photo / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images 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 United States and Israel. “Iran has successfully confronted Israel and the United States,” Pezeshkian said. “As we seek truth and justice, we will not give in to intimidating arrogance,” he added. Pezeshkian’s comments over the weekend came on the heels of US President Donald Trump’s claim that Iran would have wiped out Israel and the Middle East, and begun attacking American cities, if Washington had not taken military action against Iran. “If I had it to do over again, I would do exactly what I did,” Trump said Thursday. CENTCOM said Wednesday that it destroyed 10 Iranian oil tankers the previous week. On Saturday, CENTCOM said its forces have rerouted 100 commercial vessels in the past 60 days since it resumed a naval blockade against Iran. “ZERO ships have passed through the blockade without US forces allowing it,” CENTCOM said in a post on X. The war in Iran will likely end shortly after the November midterm elections, Trump said Saturday. He also predicted that energy prices would drop sharply once that happens. “I think very soon, I think it will be right after the midterm elections, actually,” Trump said on a trip to Ireland when asked by reporters when the war with Iran is likely to end. “I would say shortly, and oil will crash when that happens.” US West Texas Intermediate fell 2.4% to settle at $100.05 per barrel. On Thursday, Brent crude oil hit a high of around $108 a barrel, while WTI hit over $104. Shipments of oil and other cargo through the critical Strait of Hormuz separating Iran and Oman have slowed to a trickle since the United States and Israel began their war against Iran on Feb. 28, stranding ships and sailors for weeks or months at a time. Saudi Arabia has been relying on its East-West pipeline to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. But the kingdom said Friday it closed the facilities as a precaution after multiple drone attacks launched from Iraq. Drones attacked the pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions on Thursday morning, causing fires and some damage, the Saudi government said. Several people were injured in the attacks, he added.
