U.S. seizes Iranian ship after clash
U.S. naval forces intercepted and disabled the Iranian-flagged cargo vessel TOUSKA
US naval forces intercepted and disabled the Iranian-flagged cargo vessel TOUSKA after its crew ignored repeated warnings while attempting to transit toward Bandar Abbas, US officials said. The USS Spruance fired on the ship’s engine room, rendering it inoperable, then deployed helicopter-borne Marines who boarded and secured the vessel; Marines now hold the ship while US personnel search its cargo.
CENTCOM released footage showing the warning and engagement and said the crew were warned over six hours before force was used. US President Trump said the TOUSKA is under US Treasury sanctions and that its seizure followed attempts to breach a US blockade of Iranian ports. Ship-tracking data indicated the vessel left Port Klang, Malaysia.
Tasnim News confirmed, “An Iranian container ship named Touska was targeted by an American attack fifty miles from Chabahar Port, and in response, Iran launched a drone attack on American ships.” It was further confirmed by the Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters.
The incident is the first reported effort to evade the blockade, which US forces say has prompted 25 commercial vessels to turn back since it began; shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely disrupted.
