Original Source
US Seizes Iran-Flagged Ship in Gulf of Oman, Trump Details Action
US Seizes Iranian Ship 'Touska'
US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that American forces seized an Iran-flagged cargo ship after it attempted to bypass a US naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman. This marks the first seizure and the first ship fired upon since the US blockade was enacted last Sunday in response to Iran effectively holding the Strait of Hormuz hostage since the war began on February 28. President Trump stated that US Marines disabled and seized the vessel, named the Touska. The incident occurred as US and Iranian officials prepared for talks in Pakistan, ahead of a looming ceasefire deadline.
Escalation of US-Iran Conflict and Iranian Retaliation
President Trump posted on Truth Social that the USS Spruance gave the Iranian crew fair warning to stop, but they refused to comply. Consequently, the Navy ship stopped them by "blowing a hole in the engineroom." A US Central Command post confirmed that the destroyer fired "several rounds from the destroyer's 5-inch MK 45 Gun into Touska's engine room." Oil prices jumped on Sunday evening following this fresh escalation of the US-Iran conflict. Iran's military, according to state media, accused the US of violating the ceasefire agreement and engaging in "maritime piracy," vowing to "soon respond" to the incident. In a separate post earlier Sunday, Trump also threatened that if Iran does not accept a deal, the United States would "knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran."
*Source: Axios (2026-04-20)*
