The Iranian ship Touska was seized by US forces in the Gulf after it failed to respond to warnings to stop, President Donald Trump said on Sunday. The move came as tensions climbed over the US naval blockade and Iran accused Washington of violating the ceasefire. US Central Command released video showing the warning, the shots fired, and Marines boarding the vessel.
What happened to the Iranian ship
US forces intercepted the Iranian ship in the Gulf after the vessel did not comply with repeated warnings, Trump said on his Truth Social platform. Centcom said one video showed the ship being warned before shots were fired, while a second showed Marines departing their ship and boarding the vessel. The Iranian ship was identified as the Touska, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship.
Centcom said the seizure happened after warnings over a six-hour period. The US military said the vessel was in violation of the blockade and was trying to continue through the Strait of Hormuz toward the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. In its account, the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance fired at the engine room and disabled the vessel before Marines boarded it.
Iran’s response and the ceasefire pressure
Iran said the seizure was a violation of the ceasefire and described it as “an act of armed piracy. ” Iranian they would retaliate soon. In the same period, Iran said it had no plans to send negotiators for talks with the US in Islamabad, adding new strain to the already fragile diplomatic picture.
Esmail Baghaei, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, said Tehran had no plans to take part in a new round of talks with the US and said Washington had violated the agreement from its implementation. He also said Iran could not forget US attacks during earlier diplomatic talks and that Tehran would continue defending its national interests.
Why the Iranian ship matters now
The Iranian ship is the first non-military Iranian vessel the US is known to have hit during the current war, making the seizure a significant escalation in the blockade campaign. The US has been enforcing the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz since April 13, barring ships belonging to Iran or travelling to or from Iranian ports from passing through the strait.
That blockade has immediate economic weight because it affects Iran’s ability to move oil exports through one of the world’s most sensitive waterways. The confrontation also comes as Washington is due to send negotiators to Pakistan for talks aimed at ending the war, a plan now under pressure.
Immediate reaction from officials
Trump said the vessel had failed to answer a warning to stop and that US forces seized it as part of the naval blockade. Centcom said American forces issued multiple warnings before action was taken. Iran’s side called the seizure piracy and vowed retaliation, deepening the standoff around the Iranian ship.
On the US side, the military framed the operation as enforcement of a blockade against vessels linked to Iranian ports. On Iran’s side, the response was political as well as military, with officials saying the country would not quietly absorb the move.
What happens next
The next developments will likely turn on Iran’s promised response, the status of the ship and crew, and whether the planned talks in Islamabad go ahead. For now, the Iranian ship seizure has widened the gap between military pressure at sea and already fragile diplomatic efforts on land. The Iranian ship remains at the center of a fast-moving crisis, and further steps from both sides could come quickly.
