Donald Trump said the Iranian-flagged vessel, identified as Touska, was intercepted in the Gulf of Oman by the US Navy destroyer USS Spruance.
Donald Trump has pledged to block all shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz. (File Photo)
UPDATED: Apr 20, 2026 03:12 IST
In a big escalation in the Gulf, US President Donald Trump has claimed that American forces have taken custody of an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel after it allegedly attempted to pass through a US naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz. Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said the vessel, identified as Touska, was intercepted in the Gulf of Oman by the US Navy destroyer USS Spruance.
“Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them,” Trump wrote. He claimed the ship ignored warnings and was stopped by US marines. “Right now, US Marines have custody of the vessel We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board!” he said. Trump also alleged that the vessel is under US Treasury sanctions due to previous “illegal activity”.
After peace talks in Islamabad collapsed without a deal, Donald Trump had ordered a naval blockade of the world’s most important oil chokepoint.
Meanwhile, Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency offered a different version regarding the incident in the Sea of Oman that denounced Trump’s claim of taking custody of the Iranian-flagged ship. It said that the naval unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) prevented the attack on the Iranian vessel, and due to their timely presence and active response, the US forces had to step back after launching an attack on the vessel.
However, US Central Command, in one of its posts on X, mentioned that the US Navy stopped the vessel from entering an Iranian port, violating the blockade.
PAKISTAN PEACE TALKS FALTERS The reported seizure of an Iran-flagged vessel comes at a tense point in the standoff, with US President Donald Trump racing to secure a deal with Iran before a two-week ceasefire expires on Tuesday. Constructive diplomatic efforts had picked up earlier in the day after Trump told The New York Post that his special env
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