United States Seizes Iranian Ship in the Persian Gulf
FILE PHOTO: An oil tanker is seen on Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela's western state of Zulia March 1, 2008. REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo
The US Navy has intercepted the Iranian cargo ship Touska in the Persian Gulf after it ignored warnings. The US military damaged the ship and took control of it, and Iran declared a ceasefire violation.
This is reported by the BBC.
According to the American side, the vessel attempted to pass through the naval blockade zone and did not respond to warnings. After that, the US warship opened fire, causing damage to the engine room.
After the ship stopped, US Marines boarded it, took control, and began inspecting the cargo.
“Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship called the TOUSKA attempted to break through our naval blockade, and it ended badly for them,” said US President Donald Trump.
He also noted that the vessel was subject to sanctions for illegal activities.
At the same time, the Iranian side reacted sharply to the US actions, calling them a violation of international agreements.
“The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and take revenge for this act of armed piracy,” Iranian officials said.
Tehran also stated that the US military disabled the navigation system of a civilian vessel.
According to US Central Command, warnings were sent to the ship for several hours before the use of force, but the crew ignored them.
US Marines depart amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) by helicopter and transit over the Arabian Sea to board and seize M/V Touska. The Marines rappelled onto the Iranian-flagged vessel, April 19, after guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) disabled Touska’s… pic.twitter.com/mFxI5RzYCS
— US Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 20, 2026
The day before, it became known that the US military is preparing to conduct raids on oil tankers linked to Iran in international waters. According to sources, these actions could begin in the coming days and will be part of an expansion of US naval operations.
Earlier, it was reported that Iran had opened the Strait of Hormuz to all commercial vessels for the duration of the truce between Israel and Lebanon. This decision was part of the ceasefire agreements and affected the safety of shipping in the region.
Subsequently, Iran announced the renewal of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, as the US refused to lift the naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf.
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