A US guided missile destroyer fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman on Sunday after the vessel attempted to bypass a naval blockade, according to US President Donald Trump. The USS Spruance targeted the engine room of the ship, Touska, after it ignored repeated warnings to stop, Trump said in a post on Truth Social. US Marines have taken control of the vessel and are inspecting its cargo. Iran's military responded with a warning through the ISNA news agency, stating that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic will retaliate against what it described as "armed piracy" by the US military. A spokesperson for Iran's Khatam Al-Anbiya central command accused the United States of violating the ceasefire that had been in place since April 8. The incident occurred amid heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane for global oil and liquefied natural gas. The strait was briefly reopened by Iran on Friday following an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire in Lebanon but was shut again the next day after the US maintained its maritime blockade on Iranian ports. The US-Israeli conflict with Iran began seven weeks ago, leading to the strait being effectively closed for much of that time. Trump also claimed in an earlier Sunday post that Tehran had broken the ceasefire by launching an unspecified action, though no further details were provided. The ceasefire is set to expire on Wednesday. Iran has not disclosed any specific plans for its promised response.
The US claims the Touska ignored warnings before being struck, yet provides no evidence of attempted evasion, while Iran calls the strike piracy amid a fragile ceasefire. Trump's public boasting about the attack undermines diplomatic stability just days before the ceasefire ends. With Marines now inspecting the cargo, the risk of escalation grows as both sides accuse the other of breaking the truce. Neither side has offered verifiable proof of the other's violation, leaving the world to navigate the fog of maritime conflict.
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