Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named Touska, nearly 274m long and weighing almost equivalent to an aircraft carrier, tried to bypass our naval blockade and the outcome was not good for them" - President Donald Trump wrote on April 19 on the social network Truth Social.
“The US Navy's USS Spruance guided missile destroyer intercepted the ship Touska in the Gulf of Oman and issued a clear warning requesting stopping. The Iranian crew refused to comply, so our navy ship intercepted it by firing through the engine room. Currently, the US Marine Corps is controlling the ship,” the US President added.
The US military also confirmed that a destroyer fired multiple rounds of bullets at an Iranian-flagged ship trying to violate the naval blockade order.
In a statement on April 19, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that the USS Spruance intercepted the Touska when it was heading towards an Iranian port, violating the blockade order.
“After the crew of Touska did not comply with the repeated warnings for 6 hours, the Spruance requested the ship to evacuate the engine room,” CENTCOM stated.
After that, US forces "neutralized Touska's propulsion system" by firing multiple shots into the engine room.
Since the blockade began, the US military has "requested 25 merchant ships to turn around or return to Iranian ports," the announcement added.
Mr. Trump's statement was made in the context that he accused Iran of violating the current ceasefire agreement through actions on the strategic sea route of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Tehran once again blocked most ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Washington of not keeping its commitments.
Iranian sources previously confirmed that Tehran is sending a negotiating delegation to Islamabad to hold talks with the US on April 21, although Iran has not officially confirmed it. On April 19, Mr. Trump said a US delegation would arrive in Pakistan and be present there on the evening of April 20.
Just minutes before President Donald Trump announced the US arrest of an Iranian container ship in the Gulf of Oman, Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam criticized the US on social media, saying that "the rifts still exist" as long as Washington continues to blockade the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian ports. Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam emphasized: "As long as naval blockade still exists, the rifts still exist.
The Iranian military warned it would respond after US forces opened fire and arrested an Iranian-flagged container ship in the Gulf of Oman. According to the Iranian military, the US violated the ceasefire and attacked an Iranian merchant ship in the Oman Sea. The US destroyed the ship's navigation equipment and deployed soldiers on board. The Iranian military warned that "the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and retaliate" against the US move.
On April 19, oil prices rose sharply as Iran continued to block most ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz - a route that transports about 1/5 of global crude oil - amid the ceasefire between the US and Iran coming to an end on April 22.
Brent oil rose about 7% to $96.88 a barrel, after closing the session on April 19 at the lowest level since March 10 due to information that Iran would reopen the strait. US crude oil rose 7% to $90.33 a barrel. According to monitoring data, no oil tankers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on April 19.
