President of the United States Donald Trump The Navy on Sunday claimed that it had forcibly seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA after it was allegedly trying to bypass a naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz.“Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA… tried to breach our naval blockade, but it didn’t go well,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.Trump said a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer warned the ship to stop in the Gulf of Oman, but the ship failed to comply. “The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance intercepted the Tuska in the Gulf of Oman and gave them fair warning to stop. The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship blew a hole in the engine room to stop them. The ship is currently in the custody of the U.S. Marine Corps. TOUSKA was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department due to its previous history of illegal activity. We have full custody of the boat and are seeing what’s on board! ” he further wrote.The news comes as tensions rise in the Strait of Hormuz and efforts are underway to resume talks between Washington and Tehran.Click here for live blog updatesEarlier, Trump’s statement that U.S. negotiators would travel to Pakistan on Monday for a new round of talks with Iran raised questions. Tehran, meanwhile, has yet to confirm its participation in the next round of talks.
Central Command issued a statement
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said forces operating in the Arabian Sea imposed a naval blockade on the Iranian-flagged cargo ship TOUSKA as it attempted to sail toward an Iranian port.According to Central Command, the USS Spruance intercepted the ship as it traveled through the North Arabian Sea at 17 knots toward the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. The U.S. said it issued multiple warnings over a six-hour period during which it allegedly failed to comply with stop orders.“U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit later boarded the non-compliant vessel, which remains in U.S. custody,” the statement added.Central Command said the U.S. military’s actions were “thoughtful, professional and proportionate” and claimed that 25 commercial ships have been directed to turn around or return to Iranian ports since the blockade began.
‘America forced to retreat’: Iran refutes Trump’s claim of seizing ship in Hormuz
Iranian state media reported that Iranian forces thwarted an alleged U.S. attempt to seize an Iranian merchant ship in the Sea of Oman, an assertion that contrasted with earlier claims by Trump.According to Al Jazeera, citing the semi-official Mahr News Agency, “U.S. terrorist forces deployed to the waters surrounding the Sea of Oman and opened fire on an Iranian merchant ship, forcing it to return to Iranian territorial waters.”“With the timely presence and rapid response of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps naval forces to support the Iranian vessels, the Americans were forced to retreat and flee the area,” the report added, without naming the vessel involved.
