The Middle East is in a critical situation even though a ceasefire is still in effect. Hours after the US “captured” an Iranian ship in the Strait of Hormuz amid the naval blockade, Iran has threatened retaliation while accusing the US of violating a ceasefire.

As Donald Trump reports, US Marines from the USS SPRUANCE spotted the Iranian ship in the Gulf of Oman on Sunday (19 April 2026) and after asking the crew to stop and they refused, then bombed it.

A few hours after Trump’s announcement, Iran threatened retaliation against the military involved in the capture of the ship.

“The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon retaliate, will take retaliatory measures for this act of armed piracy and against the US military,” a spokesman for Iran’s National Defence General Staff said via Telegram.

He accused Washington of “violating the two-week ceasefire” that has been in place since April 8.

In fact, Iran announced on Friday the lifting of its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas consumed under normal circumstances passes.

On Saturday, however, it backtracked on the move, making it known that it was reverting to “strict control” given the US decision to continue its blockade of Iranian ports.

In an earlier post yesterday (Sunday), Donald Trump accused Tehran of violating the ceasefire, which expires the day after Wednesday, by launching attacks on French and British ships in particular, according to him.

Whether the temporary ceasefire will be extended remains unknown.

CENTCOM has released video of the warnings from the US crew and the fire launched against the Touska ship.

In the footage, the US ship’s message can also be heard:

“Evacuate the engine room, evacuate the engine room, we are preparing to use immobilizing fire.”

Some time later, the ship fired on the Touska, immobilizing it.