An oil tanker frames an Iranian gunboat as it patrols the Strait of Hormuz. (Credit: X Screenshot)
Iran has moved to seize the waterway in response to a US naval blockade, despite a two-week ceasefire between the sides.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday that US forces seized an Iranian vessel in the Gulf of Oman after it attempted to breach a US naval blockade, describing the interception as a response to what he said was noncompliance by the ship’s crew.
Trump said the US Navy guided missile destroyer USS Spruance intercepted the vessel, identified as the Touska, after issuing a warning that was ignored.
“Today, an early 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them,” the president wrote.
He said the ship was stopped after US forces disabled it. “The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room,” he said.
According to the post, US Marines have taken custody of the vessel.
Trump added that the Touska is under US Treasury sanctions due to what he described as a history of illegal activity and said US authorities are inspecting its contents. “We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board!” he wrote.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, a central flashpoint in the conflict between the US and Iran, with wider implications for the region and global oil prices.
Iran has moved to seize the waterway in response to a US naval blockade, despite a two-week ceasefire between the sides.
The maritime confrontation follows conflicting signals on diplomacy.
On Sunday night, President Trump said talks with Iran would take place in Islamabad, but Iranian officials rejected that claim, citing what they described as US “excessive demands” as an obstacle to negotiations.
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