President Donald Trump said on Sunday that US forces had taken custody of an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel after it attempted to pass through what he described as a U.S. naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global energy supplies.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance had intercepted the vessel, identified as the TOUSKA, in the Gulf of Oman. "The US Navy Guided Missile Destroyer USS SPRUANCE intercepted the TOUSKA in the Gulf of Oman, and gave them fair warning to stop," Trump wrote. "The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom."
He added that US Marines had boarded the vessel and taken control.
"Right now, US Marines have custody of the vessel.The TOUSKAis under US Treasury Sanctions because of their prior history of illegal activity. We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what's on board!" he said.
The claim came as maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz appeared to slow dramatically. No tankers were reported to have crossed the waterway on Sunday, according to ship-tracking data, making it one of the quietest days in the strait since the latest escalation of tensions in the region.
Donald Trump's post on Truth Social announcing the seizure of the Iranian ship.
The slowdown followed an announcement on Saturday by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that the strait had again been closed to traffic. Earlier on Sunday, two sanctioned tankers carrying liquefied petroleum gas were reported to have been heading out of the Persian Gulf before being turned back by Iranian armed forces, according to Tasnim, a news agency affiliated with the Iranian state.
Tracking data and video from Marine Tracker showed a buildup of vessels on either side of the strait, with ships clustered near the entrance. Other vessels appeared to circle in nearby waters rather than attempt to pass through the channel. A small number of ships were seen entering the waterway, but these were primarily tugboats or vessels flying the Iranian flag.
According to Trump, more than 20 Iranian vessels attempting to pass through the blockade in recent days had previously been turned back without the use of force. This is the first known instance in which a US warship has reportedly taken direct action to disable and seize a vessel.
The seizure comes hours ahead of the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad, scheduled to take place on Monday evening. Even though Trump had told earlier in the day that his special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will head to Pakistan for the talks and the White House confirmed that Vice President JD Vance will lead discussions, there seems to be no surety if the negotiations would indeed take place.
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