US President Donald Trump on Sunday claimed that the Navy has forcibly seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named Tosca as it allegedly attempted to bypass the naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz.“Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship, named TOUSKA… tried to bypass our naval blockade, and it didn’t go well for them,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.Trump said the ship was warned by a US Navy guided missile destroyer in the Gulf of Oman to stop, but it did not comply. “The US Navy guided missile destroyer USS Spruance intercepted TOUSKA in the Gulf of Oman, and gave them fair warning to stop. The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them in their tracks by blasting a hole in the engine room. At present, the ship is under the custody of the American marines. TOUSKA is under US Treasury sanctions due to its prior history of illegal activity. We have complete surveillance of the ship and we are seeing what is on board!” he further wrote.The announcement comes amid heightened tensions over the Strait of Hormuz and ongoing efforts to revive talks between Washington and Tehran.Click here for live blog updatesEarlier, questions were raised on Trump’s statement that American negotiators will go to Pakistan on Monday for the second round of talks with Iran. Meanwhile, Tehran has not confirmed participation in the next round of talks.
CENTCOM issued statement
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said forces operating in the Arabian Sea implemented naval blockade measures against the Iranian-flagged cargo ship TOUSKA as it attempted to approach an Iranian port.According to CENTCOM, the USS Spruance intercepted the ship as it was crossing the North Arabian Sea at 17 nautical miles en route to Bandar Abbas, Iran. The US said repeated warnings were issued over a six-hour period, during which the ship allegedly failed to comply with orders to stop.It added that “US Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit later boarded the non-compliant ship, which is in US custody.”CENTCOM said US forces acted in a “deliberate, professional and proportionate manner” and claimed that since the blockade began, 25 commercial vessels have been diverted or directed to return to Iranian ports.
‘America was forced to retreat’: Iran opposes Trump’s claim of seizing ship in Hormuz
Iranian state-linked media have reported that its forces have foiled an alleged US attempt to seize an Iranian commercial ship in the Sea of Oman, offering a version that contradicts earlier claims by Trump.According to Al-Jazeera citing the semi-official Mehr news agency, “US terrorist forces deployed in the waters surrounding the Sea of Oman fired on an Iranian merchant ship to force it to return to Iranian territorial waters”.“With the timely appearance and quick response of IRGC naval units in support of the Iranian ship, the Americans were forced to retreat and flee the area,” it said. The report did not reveal the name of the ship involved.