US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth commented on the new round of US strikes on Iran early Sunday morning.

Hegseth said in a post on his X account that Iran 'made a bad choice and is now paying the price.'

The US military reported that it launched a new round of strikes on Iran, after Iran's Revolutionary Guard forces attacked a container ship flying the Cypriot flag that was crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday.

The series of reciprocal attacks between the United States and Iran over the past few days led US President Donald Trump to announce the termination of the ceasefire agreement that was aimed at stopping the fighting that the US and Israel began with attacks on Iran on February 28, but Trump left the door open for continuing negotiations.

Iran said it closed the vital Strait of Hormuz after firing warning shots at a ship that was sailing on an unauthorized course.

For its part, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that the ship (MV G.F.S.), a container ship flying the Cypriot flag, suffered severe damage to the engine room and that a civilian crew member has gone missing.

Senior US officials had said that the United States demands that Iran declare it will stop its attacks on ships in the strait and that all passages will be open without transit fees for the waterway.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States of violating the ceasefire agreement, and Araghchi wrote on X on Friday, 'Commitment can only be achieved mutually.'

Washington on Tuesday canceled the license that had authorized the sale of Iranian crude oil after three Qatari and Saudi commercial tankers came under fire last week, which prompted the United States to target Iranian sites, while Iran responded by launching strikes on US military sites in Gulf countries.

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Although Tehran has not claimed responsibility for the attacks on ships, analysts believe it is resorting to such moves to strengthen its negotiating position.

Reuters quoted a senior Iranian source as saying that Iran, the United States, Qatar and Pakistan agreed to negotiate in a contact that mediators tried to arrange to complete on Saturday, while Araghchi was in Oman, which is trying to mediate to end the war.

Araghchi and Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi met in the sultanate to exchange views on appropriate mechanisms for safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement by the Iranian Foreign Minister.

The Oman News Agency later said that Omani and Iranian negotiators would continue talks 'at the technical and political levels.'

According to CNN on Saturday, Oman presented a draft proposal on the Strait of Hormuz, including freedom of navigation through the southern corridor in Omani territorial waters.

The network indicated that the plan stipulates that ships crossing the northern corridor through Iranian territorial waters obtain prior approval from Iran but without imposing fees.

President Trump had said on Friday that he ordered the US military to prepare to launch thousands of missiles at Iran if Tehran tries to assassinate him.

Trump's remarks came after The Wall Street Journal and other US media outlets reported days ago that Israel had transferred intelligence information to Washington indicating that Iran had recently devised a plan to assassinate Trump.

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Conflicting Iranian accounts of new US strikes

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