What the US-Iran ‘fight-talk’ dynamic means before their ceasefire ends

US President Donald Trump on Sunday confirmed that the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance opened fire on the Touska after its crew reportedly ignored repeated orders to halt.

The incident took place about 550km (342 miles) east of the Strait of Hormuz

in the strategic waters connecting the Persian Gulf to the open sea and marked the first known use of force against a vessel since the American naval blockade of Iran

It prompted Tehran to accuse Washington of violating a fragile two-week ceasefire that is set to expire this Wednesday.

On Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun expressed “concern” over the US interception of the vessel in the “sensitive and complex” Strait of Hormuz.