WASHINGTON DC: The United States has intercepted and taken control of an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel in the Gulf as part of an ongoing naval blockade, US President Donald Trump has stated.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the ship, named Touska, was detained by the US Navy after it allegedly ignored warnings to halt. He also claimed the vessel was later disabled during the operation. Iran, however, has condemned the action, calling it a breach of the ceasefire and vowing retaliation, describing the incident as an “act of armed piracy.”
The announcement came shortly after the White House confirmed that US Vice President JD Vance would lead a second round of talks in Pakistan aimed at ending the conflict with Iran. Tehran has not confirmed participation, and Iranian state media reports suggest officials may boycott negotiations while the US blockade remains in effect.
Trump said the nearly 900-foot vessel attempted to bypass the blockade but was stopped after failing to respond to repeated warnings. He also alleged that the ship was already under US Treasury sanctions due to prior illegal activities and said US forces have taken full control of it.
US Central Command released video footage appearing to show a naval interception, including gunfire directed toward a cargo ship during the operation.
Iranian military officials, cited by state media, accused the US of violating the ceasefire and said American forces fired on a commercial vessel in the Sea of Oman, disabling its navigation systems before boarding it using marines. Tehran warned that it would respond “soon” to what it described as an act of piracy.
Trump also stated that the naval blockade of Iranian ports would continue until an agreement is reached between the two sides.
The wider conflict reportedly began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February and escalated into weeks of regional fighting before a two-week truce was established.
(Inputs from BBC)
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