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As Pakistan pitches to mediate, Iran turns back Karachi-bound ship at Strait of Hormuz over 'lack of permission'
SELEN is a Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged container ship. The ship was bound for Karachi, Pakistan, to deliver cargo.
Pakistan's offer to mediate talks between the US and Iran seems to leave Tehran unfazed, as it continues to strictly control the Strait of Hormuz. On Tuesday night, the IRGC Naval Commander wrote on X that a Karachi-bound container ship 'SELEN' had been ordered to turn back as it had not secured permission from the IRGC Navy to pass the vital strait.
"The container ship SELEN was turned back by the IRGC Navy due to failure to comply with legal protocols and lack of permission to pass through Strait of Hormuz," wrote Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, who is currently serving as the commander of the IRGC Navy.
"The passage of any vessel through this waterway requires full coordination with Iran's maritime authority, and this achievement would not have been possible without the backing of the noble people of Iran," he added further.
According to the online ship tracker Marine Traffic, SELEN is a Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged container ship. The ship was bound for Karachi, Pakistan, to deliver cargo.
As per the online tracker, the ship is currently in the Persian Gulf and is believed to be docked at Sharjah Anchorage in the UAE.
Since the start of the war between the US, Iran and Iran, Iran has maintained a strong hold over maritime traffic in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
As the war escalated, Iran announced that it would not allow any US, Israeli and Western-allied ships to pass through the vital strait.
Meanwhile, "non-hostile vessels" would be allowed to cross the passage only if they had sought permission from the IRGC and the Iranian government.
Pakistan offers to mediate US-Iran talks
In a surprising turn of events, Pakistan has offered to mediate and host talks between the US and Iran to bring the ongoing war to an end.
After a day of media speculation, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took to X on Tuesday to announce the initiative of the government.
"Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the WAR in Middle East, in the interest of peace and stability in region and beyond. Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict," the PM wrote on X.
While the White House remains tight-lipped regarding the possibility of negotiations in Pakistan, US President Donald Trump shared Sharif's announcement on his social media platform Truth Social.
Pakistan's announcement comes after Washington and Tehran contradicted each other regarding the possibility of negotiations. On Monday, Trump posted that he had held “productive talks” with Iran and would be pausing strikes on energy sites and power plants for the next five days.
Iran, however, denied these talsk and said that no negoations had taken place. Iran's parliament speaker further accused the US President on spreading “fake news to manipulate the markets.”
