Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, has formally complained to the UN secretary-general and the Security Council president, condemning the United States for seizing Iranian vessels and calling the actions “piracy”.

In the letter, reported by the Tasnim News Agency, he argued that “reliance on domestic arrangements, which are inherently illegal, can under no circumstances justify such an abhorrent crime committed through the use of force”.

He added: “Such behaviour constitutes illegal coercion, interference in lawful international trade, and the unlawful seizure of property. Simultaneously, it sets a dangerous precedent that severely undermines the international rule of law.

Donald Trump has directed his team to prepare for a prolonged blockade of Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials.

Instead of escalating with more military strikes or pulling back from the conflict, Trump sees the blockade as the least risky option, the officials said.

Earlier, it was reported that Trump was reviewing Iran’s new peace proposal, but that he was unhappy with it since it didn’t include nuclear talks.

WSJ reported that the US president told his aides on Monday that Iran’s three-step offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and save nuclear talks for the final phase proved Tehran wasn’t negotiating in good faith.

In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump ⁠said: “Iran has just informed us that they are in a ‘State of Collapse’. They want us to ‘Open the Hormuz Strait,’ as soon as possible, as they try to figure out their leadership situation (Which I believe they will be able to do!).”

Donald Trump has publicly lashed out at Friedrich Merz after he said that America was being “humiliated” by Iran.

Trump hit back on social media. “The Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about! If Iran had a Nuclear Weapon, the whole World would be held hostage. I am doing something with Iran, right now, that other Nations, or Presidents, should have done long ago. No wonder Germany is doing so poorly, both Economically, and otherwise!”

Earlier, Merz had said that the Americans “clearly had no strategy” and that “the problem with conflicts like this is always that you don’t just have to go in; you also have to get out again. We saw that all too painfully in Afghanistan, for 20 years. We saw it in Iraq. So this whole affair is, as I said, ill-considered, to say the least”.

The Opec has taken a major hit as the United Arab Emirates announced it is leaving after nearly 60 years, weakening Opec’s ability to control global oil prices.

The move is seen as a win for Donald Trump, who has long accused Opec of inflating prices.

The UAE, one of the group’s top producers, wants more freedom to increase oil output, especially during the ongoing Middle East crisis, which has disrupted supply through the Strait of Hormuz and driven prices up.

Tensions with Saudi Arabia over production limits also reportedly played a role, as the UAE was frustrated with restrictions on pumping more oil.

A statement from the UAE’s energy ministry said leaving Opec would give it greater flexibility to respond to a “new energy age” in line with its “long-term strategic and economic vision”.

While the immediate impact may be limited due to current supply disruptions, analysts say this signals a long-term weakening of Opec.

A missile strike on a primary school in Minab in Iran, on 28 February, killed 168 people, including around 110 children, and weeks later the Pentagon has still not confirmed responsibility.

US authorities have only said that “this incident is currently under investigation”.

Five former US officials say this level of silence is highly unusual and that in past cases the US typically released details or admitted fault much sooner.

The current US position “strikingly departs from the standard response”, Lt Col Rachel E VanLandingham, a retired Judge Advocate General in the US Air Force and former senior legal adviser at US Central Command during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, told BBC.