US Commits Maritime Piracy, Attacks Iranian Commercial Ship in Violation of Ceasefire

Sunday, 19 April 2026 10:49 PM

This still image from a video shows the US Navy carrying out a flagrant act of aggression on an Iranian merchant vessel in the waters of the Sea of Oman on Sunday.

The United States has carried out a flagrant act of aggression on an Iranian merchant vessel in the waters of the Sea of Oman, deploying its terrorist marines onto the ship’s deck and disabling its navigation systems.

The spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters on Sunday night condemned the criminal operation by the US Navy.

“The aggressor United States violated the ceasefire and committed maritime piracy by firing at an Iranian merchant ship in the waters of the Sea of Oman and landing a number of its terrorist marines on the deck of the vessel, disabling its navigation system,” Lieutenant-Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari said.

“We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond to this armed piracy and retaliation by the US army,” he added.

US troops launched the unprovoked attack on the Iranian container ship Toska, which was peacefully sailing from China to Iran through the Gulf of Oman.

In immediate response, Iranian forces struck back, targeting several American military vessels in the area with drone attacks.

US President Donald Trump boasted that American forces had seized the Iranian ship, calling the US military the “largest military force in the world,” which has now been exposed once again as the chief pirate in international waters.

Iran had already stated that it would retaliate decisively against any hostile action by the United States.

At the same time as Washington announced its illegal naval blockade against Iran, the Islamic Republic has fully closed the Strait of Hormuz. Any ship or tanker attempting to pass through the strategic waterway without Iranian permission will be dealt with firmly by Iranian forces.

The latest criminal act by the US regime once again proves that Washington remains the primary source of terrorism and instability across West Asia.

Iran is fully prepared to defend its sovereignty and national interests and said it will not hesitate to deliver a crushing response to any act of aggression or maritime piracy.

Iranian armed forces have intercepted two oil tankers attempting to navigate through the Strait of Hormuz, forcing them to alter their routes and retreat from the region

On Friday, Iran had declared the Strait was open to commercial shipping, weeks after it was shut down to vessels associated with the US and its allies following the launch of an unprovoked war of aggression against the Islamic Republic on February 28.

On April 7 and following 40 days of intense fighting that engulfed the entire region, Trump announced a two-week ceasefire after accepting Iran's ten-point proposal as a basis for negotiations to permanently end the war.

He nonetheless authorized the continuation of a naval blockade he had ordered against the Islamic Republic, in addition to making numerous controversial statements regarding the waterway—all of which have been categorically refuted by Iranian authorities.

During the marathon talks in Islamabad earlier this month, the issue of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz dominated discussions, according to sources, with Iran making it emphatically clear that the waterway will be opened fully once all its conditions to end the war are accepted.