Donald Trump Says US Navy Disabled And Seized Iranian-Flagged Ship Touska In Gulf Of Oman

The United States seized the Iranian-flagged cargo ship Touska after a US Navy guided missile destroyer fired on and disabled the vessel in the Gulf of Oman, President Donald Trump said.

“US forces attack and seize Iranian ship Touska near Strait of Hormuz US President Donald Trump has said United States forces have seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that tried to get past his country’s naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz”

Al Jazeera

Trump said the USS Spruance intercepted the Touska and “gave them fair warning to stop,” adding that “The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom.”

Al Jazeera

In a Truth Social post, Trump said, “Right now, U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel,” and he noted the Touska is under U.S. Treasury Sanctions due to its “prior history of illegal activity.”

CNBC reported that U.S. Central Command released a video of a Spruance crew member warning the Touska in a radio transmission, “We're prepared to subject you to disabling fire.”

Central Command said the Spruance fired several rounds from the destroyer’s 5-inch MK gun into the Touska’s engine room after warning the ship’s crew to evacuate that room, and that the Touska’s crew “failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period.”

Al Jazeera reported that Trump said the ship was warned by a US Navy guided missile destroyer to stop but its “crew refused to listen,” and that the US “stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room.”

Al Jazeera also reported that the US Central Command said the Touska was headed to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas and ignored multiple US warnings over six hours to evacuate the engine room.

The seizure unfolded within a wider standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran and the United States exchanged warnings and accusations over a blockade and a ceasefire.

Al Jazeera reported that the incident came as a standoff in the Strait of Hormuz continued, describing it as “a chokepoint for the shipment of about a fifth of the world’s oil,” and noting threats from Iran and a US blockade on ships heading to and from Iranian ports.

CNBC

Al Jazeera said Iranian officials stated that ships would not pass while the US blockade—“in place since April 13”—remained in effect, and it quoted Iran’s Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf saying, “It is impossible for others to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while we cannot.”

Al Jazeera also reported that Iran announced the strait’s reopening after a “10-day truce between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah” took hold on Friday, but Iran said it would continue enforcing restrictions there after Trump said the US blockade “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with Washington.

Al Jazeera reported that Trump’s statement came hours after he said US negotiators would travel to Islamabad on Monday for possible talks with Iran aimed at ending the US-Israel war on Iran, raising hopes of extending a fragile ceasefire “set to expire by Wednesday.”

CNBC reported that the U.S. has been operating a naval blockade of ships entering and exiting Iranian ports since last week, and it said the seizure was an escalation of the blockade after Iran fired upon commercial vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz earlier Sunday.

Al Jazeera reported that Iran’s top joint military command said the US violated a ceasefire reached earlier this month by firing at an Iranian commercial ship heading from China to Iran, and it quoted a spokesperson of Khatam al-Anbiya saying, “We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy by the US military.”

After the seizure, Nikki Haley, described by multiple outlets as a Republican leader and former US envoy to the United Nations, claimed the ship was linked to chemical shipments for missiles and said the vessel was headed from China to Iran.

“The US made good on its threat to board and seize any vessel defying its blockade of Iran’s ports on Sunday, with footage released by the military showing a guided-missile destroyer firing on the Iran-linked M/V Touska, and once it was disabled, Marines rappelling from helicopters onto its deck”

CNN

The Times of India reported that Haley said the Chinese vessel seized by the United States in the Strait of Hormuz was headed to Iran to help “prop-up” the regime, and it quoted her post on X: “The ship the US seized in the Strait of Hormuz this weekend was headed from China to Iran and is linked to chemical shipments for missiles. It refused repeated orders to stop.”

The Times of India also reported that Haley added, “Another reminder that China is helping prop up Iran’s regime—a reality that can’t be ignored,” and it said China denied the claim and said the ship seized was a “foreign container” vessel.

ThePrint similarly reported that Haley said the Iranian-flagged MV Touska was carrying chemical shipments for Tehran’s missile programme emanating from China, and it quoted her X post: “The ship the U.S. seized in the Strait of Hormuz this weekend was headed from China to Iran and is linked to chemical shipments for missiles.”

ThePrint then quoted Haley’s follow-up line: “Another reminder that China is helping prop up Iran’s regime–a reality that can’t be ignored.”

Newsweek reported Haley said the Touska was “headed from China to Iran and is linked to chemical shipments for missiles,” and it said she added it was “another reminder that China is helping prop up Iran’s regime.”

Mint reported Haley wrote on X that “The ship the US seized in the Strait of Hormuz this weekend was headed from China to Iran and is linked to chemical shipments for missiles,” and it quoted her saying “Another reminder that China is helping prop up Iran’s regime—a reality that can’t be ignored.”

China and Iran both rejected the accusations and framed the seizure as unlawful aggression.

The Times of India reported that China denied Haley’s claim and said the ship seized was a “foreign container” vessel, quoting China’s response: “The vessel seized by the US is a foreign container ship. China rejects any false association and speculation.”

Devdiscourse

ThePrint reported that China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun underscored that the vessel seized by America is a foreign container ship, saying, “As far as I know, the vessel seized by the U.S. is a foreign container ship. China rejects any false association and speculation,” and it also quoted Guo’s concern about “forcible interception of the vessel.”

Firstpost reported that China rejected the allegations as “malicious linking and hype,” quoting Guo Jiakun: “To my knowledge, this is a foreign-flagged container ship. China opposes any malicious linking and hype.”

The New Indian Express similarly quoted Guo Jiakun saying, “To my knowledge, this is a foreign-flagged container ship. China opposes any malicious linking and hype,” and it said the US naval ship fired at the cargo ship when it reportedly failed to heed calls to stop.

On the Iranian side, Al Jazeera reported that Iran’s top joint military command said the US violated a ceasefire and quoted a spokesperson of Khatam al-Anbiya saying, “We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy by the US military.”

ThePrint reported that Iran accused the US of “armed piracy” after the capture of the MV Touska, and it said Tehran warned of “blatant aggression” while refraining from action due to the presence of crew members and families on board.

The seizure and the competing narratives immediately fed into uncertainty over US-Iran talks and broader US-China tensions.

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Firstpost

Al Jazeera reported that Trump said US negotiators would travel to Islamabad on Monday for possible talks with Iran aimed at ending the US-Israel war on Iran, but it said Iranian state media reported that Tehran had not agreed to a second round of talks.

Mint

Firstpost reported that after the incident, Iran declined to confirm whether it would participate in the second round of peace talks with the United States scheduled to take place in Pakistan this week, and it said Iran’s position was tied to the blockade.

The New Indian Express reported that following the incident, Iran declined to confirm its participation in the second round of peace talks with the US in Pakistan this week, and it tied the decision to the blockade.

Mint reported that Tehran hinted it will not send a delegation to Islamabad for the next round of talks unless Washington agrees to lift the blockade, and it said Iran’s military claimed the ship had been travelling from China and accused the US of “armed piracy.”

CNBC reported that U.S. envoys led by Vice President JD Vance were expected to travel to Pakistan on Monday for a second round of peace talks with their Iranian counterparts, and it said Iran had rebuffed those talks according to a state media report.

CNBC also reported Trump warned on Sunday that if Iran did not agree to the U.S.’s terms to end the conflict, he would “knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran.”