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President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. military seized control of an Iranian ship attempting to circumvent the U.S. naval blockade around the Strait of Hormuz.
“Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, nearly 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,” he wrote Sunday in a post to Truth Social.
Touska, an Iranian cargo ship, was navigating the north Arabian Sea at 17 knots towards Bandar Abbas, a port city in southern Iran, the Hill reported.
After U.S. forces provided multiple warnings and told the cargo ship that it was entering the U.S. blockade without proper authorization, the Iranian crew failed to comply over a six-hour period.
The USS Spruance destroyer then “[blew] a hole” with its 5-inch MK 5 Gun into the ship’s engine room, taking custody of the Iranian ship before boarding.
“The U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer USS SPRUANCE intercepted the TOUSKA in the Gulf of Oman, and gave them fair warning to stop. The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom,” said the president.
He added, “Right now, U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel. The TOUSKA is under U.S. Treasury Sanctions because of their prior history of illegal activity. We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board!”
The ship’s seizure comes amid President Trump’s push to secure a peace deal with Iran before the two-week cease-fire ends on Tuesday.
The president told the New York Post earlier on Sunday that his special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be headed to Pakistan for the negotiations, with discussions led by Vice President JD Vance.
The president has been adamant that Iran abandon its nuclear program and turn its enriched uranium over to the U.S. He has also asked that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
