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Iran accuses the US of violating the ceasefire after attacking a ship in Ormuz

Tehran denounces an act of "maritime piracy" and responds with drones. Tension and mistrust are growing on the verge of talks for a peace agreement.

USA9897. ESTRECHO DE ORMUZ, 15/04/2026.- Fotografía cedida por el Comando Central de Estados Unidos (Centcom) del destructor de misiles guiados USS Spruance (DDG 111) estadounidense durante el bloqueo a barcos iraníes este miércoles, en el estrecho de Ormuz. EFE/ Centcom  /SOLO USO EDITORIAL/NO VENTAS/ SOLO DISPONIBLE PARA ILUSTRAR LA NOTICIA QUE ACOMPAÑA (CRÉDITO OBLIGATORIO)
The American ship from Ormuz. Photo: EFE

The Iranian Government has denounced the US attack on a commercial vessel in the Oman Sea as a direct violation of the ceasefire between the two countries and has raised tension around the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The spokesman for Jatam al-Anbiya's Central Headquarters has stated that US forces left the ship's navigation system unused by gunfire. The ship, a container ship from China to Iran , was intercepted in the waters of the Oman Sea.

In response, Iran has claimed to have carried outdrone attacks on US military vessels, but has not given details of these actions.

From Washington, President Donald Trump has given a radically different version of the facts and stressedthat  was merely a measure to comply with the naval blockade imposed on Iran. He explained that the ship (known as "Touska") tried to circumvent the measures and was therefore stopped after repeated warnings.

Trump has claimed that the U.S. Navy issued warnings to him for six hours, but that by ignoring it, an attack was launched to repeal the ship's navigation system. In addition, the president has reported that he is one of the ships sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury for improper practices and is under military surveillance.

The attack comeson the verge of a new round of negotiations scheduled in Islamabad. Although the US has confirmed its involvement, Iran maintains an ambiguous stance and makes the lifting of the naval blockade  a condition for sitting at the table.

In this context, the President of the Iranian Parliament, Mohamad Baqer Qalibaf, has made clear Tehran's mistrust of Washington. "We do not trust the enemy.

Qalibaf accuses the US of initiating the negotiation process through "deception," which shows that Washington is acting in bad faith. 

With the Strait of Hormuz still blocked — a route through which about 20% of the world's oil flows — and the two countries pecking, the diplomatic gap seems to be narrowing. 

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Paris (FRA), 17/04/2026.- (L-R) Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, France's President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz give a joint statement after an international summit to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, France, 17 April 2026. (Francia, Reino Unido) EFE/EPA/MICHEL EULER / POOL MAXPPP OUT
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The EU says the opening of Ormuz is good news but insists that travel must be free

"The imposition of tolls for transit would set a dangerous precedent," said the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas. On the other hand, in the context of the crisis and convened by France and the United Kingdom, 50 countries and international organizations have met in Paris. They have announced the launch of a "neutral" maritime mission to "assist and protect" ships passing through the Persian Gulf.

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