President Donald Trump mentioned in a put up on his social media platform Sunday afternoon that the U.S. Navy had attacked an Iranian-flagged cargo ship within the Gulf of Oman and that U.S. Marines have taken custody of the vessel.
“Immediately, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, almost 900 ft lengthy and weighing nearly as a lot as an plane service, tried to get previous our Naval Blockade, and it didn’t go effectively for them,” Trump mentioned within the put up.
U.S. Central Command confirmed that the destroyer USS Spruance intercepted the Touska because it transited the North Arabian Sea in direction of the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.
After repeated warnings over a six-hour timespan, the destroyer warned the Touska’s crew to vacate the engine room and fired a number of rounds at that location from its five-inch gun, in accordance with CENTCOM.
Marines later boarded the ship, and it stays in U.S. custody, CENTCOM mentioned.
U.S. Marines from the thirty first Marine Expeditionary Unit and sailors assigned to amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans help blockade operations towards Iran, April 16, 2026.
U.S. Central Command
It seems to be the primary occasion of the U.S. attacking and seizing a service provider vessel because it instituted the blockade of Iranian ports.
The president additional wrote that “U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel,” which he mentioned is “beneath U.S. Treasury Sanctions due to their prior historical past of criminal activity. We now have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board!”
The transfer comes after Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine warned that the U.S. would actively implement the blockade on Iranian-flagged vessels across the globe.
“Along with this blockade, the joint drive, by means of operations and actions in different areas of duty, just like the Pacific space of duty beneath the command of Admiral Paparo, will actively pursue any Iranian-flagged vessel or any vessel making an attempt to offer materials help to Iran. This contains Darkish Fleet vessels carrying Iranian oil,” Caine mentioned in a Pentagon press convention Thursday.
-ABC Information’ Nicholas Kerr
