The Trump administration is claiming a major escalation at sea, saying a U.S. Navy destroyer disabled and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship after it allegedly attempted to run the ongoing naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman.
The development was first shared on Sunday in a post from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who tweeted a statement from President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account describing the encounter involving the sanctioned cargo vessel TOUSKA.
“Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them. The U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer USS SPRUANCE intercepted the 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 right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom. Right now, U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel. The TOUSKA is under U.S. Treasury Sanctions because of their prior history of illegal activity. We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
The TOUSKA was not a random target. Shipping records tie the vessel to Iran’s state-linked shipping network, and U.S. authorities had flagged it under sanctions enforcement tracking prior to Sunday’s confrontation.
If confirmed, the incident would mark a clear shift from how the blockade has operated since it began earlier this month, when U.S. naval forces were focused on redirecting vessels rather than engaging them.
The Spruance had already been involved in at least one earlier encounter this week, redirecting an Iranian-flagged vessel that attempted to skirt the blockade along the Iranian coastline before the situation was resolved without incident. Officials have signaled for days that stricter enforcement was coming, and U.S. Marines have reportedly been training for maritime interdiction scenarios, including boarding operations and the seizure of sanctioned ships. Sunday may represent the first real test of that posture.
Sunday may represent the first real test of that posture.
Iran has not responded.
Update: 5:41 PM EST
CENTCOM has released footage of the interception of the TOUSKA
Update 6:35 PM EST
CENTCOM released a full press release:
“U.S. forces operating in the Arabian Sea enforced naval blockade measures against an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel attempting to sail toward an Iranian port, April 19.Guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) intercepted M/V Touska as it transited the north Arabian Sea at 17 knots enroute to Bandar Abbas, Iran. American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the U.S. blockade.After Touska’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period, Spruance directed the vessel to evacuate its engine room. Spruance disabled Touska’s propulsion by firing several rounds from the destroyer’s 5-inch MK 45 Gun into Touska’s engine room. U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit later boarded the non-compliant vessel, which remains in U.S. custody.American forces acted in a deliberate, professional, and proportional manner to ensure compliance. Since the blockade’s commencement, U.S. forces have directed 25 commercial vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port.”
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