WASHINGTON — In a dramatic maritime encounter, the United States has taken control of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship after damaging its engine room to enforce a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump disclosed on Sunday.
The incident unfolded when the USS Spruance, a destroyer, intercepted the Iranian vessel named Touska in the Gulf of Oman. Despite repeated warnings, the Touska attempted to breach the naval blockade, prompting the U.S. to take decisive action, according to the president’s statement.
President Trump took to Truth Social to explain the situation, stating, “Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, attempted to bypass our Naval Blockade. It didn’t end well for them.” He further confirmed, “Right now, U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel. The TOUSKA is subject to U.S. Treasury Sanctions due to its past illegal activities. We are currently inspecting the ship’s contents.”
A video released by CENTCOM and shared by Reuters’ chief national security reporter provides a glimpse into the tension-filled moments. The footage captures the U.S. Navy issuing a stern warning to the crew aboard the Touska, urging them to vacate the engine room before the Navy opened fire with disabling shots.
In the recording, a Marine can be heard announcing, “Motor vessel Touska, motor vessel Touska, vacate your engine room, vacate your engine room. We are prepared to subject you to disabling fire,” moments before the ship’s horn sounds and the disabling shots are fired.
“Motor vessel Touska, motor vessel Touska, vacate your engine room, vacate your engine room. We are prepared to subject you to disabling fire,” a Marine can be heard saying before the ship’s horn blows and blasts go off.
The seizure of the Iran-flagged vessel comes as Trump is pushing to lock down a peace deal with Iran before the two-week cease-fire wraps up on Tuesday.
Trump told The Post earlier in the day, Sunday, that his special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will head to Pakistan for the talks.
The White House confirmed that Vice President JD Vance will lead discussions.
But a top Iranian official has said that Tehran won’t partake in the talks, citing concerns that US demands are too tough.
“Iran stated that its absence from the second round of talks stems from what it called Washington’s excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade, which it considers a breach of the ceasefire,” the state-run IRNA outlet said.
Trump has been emphatic that Iran must abandon its nuclear program and turn over its enriched uranium, believed to have been buried underground by bombing, to the US.
The president has also demanded that Iran agree to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has wreaked havoc upon the global economy by sporadically opening fire on vessels traversing the Strait of Hormuz, where about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil supplies flow through annually.
Those attacks have deterred travel through there. Additionally, Iran claims to have laid down mines in the waterway and reportedly said it lost track of their locations.
In response, Trump announced a blockade last week of Iranian ships going through the oil chokepoint.
US officials have since clarified that Washington will be targeting Iranian ships worldwide in a bid to ratchet up pressure on the theocratic regime.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has claimed that the US is carrying out the blockade with “less than 10% of America’s naval power.”
Should the US and Iran fail to come to a proper peace agreement, Trump has threatened to begin bombing energy infrastructure and bridges in Iran.
