US Navy fires on Iranian cargo ship, seizes vessel in Gulf

The United States military seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the northern Arabian Sea on Saturday after the vessel's crew ignored warnings to halt, according to video released by US Central Command (CENTCOM).

The USS Spruance, a guided-missile destroyer, opened fire on the M/V Touska with its MK 45 cannon, striking the ship's engine room and disabling its propulsion system. The operation occurred in waters near the Gulf of Oman as the approximately 275-meter vessel traveled at 17 knots toward the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.

According to CENTCOM's account, the Touska's crew ignored warnings for six hours not to breach the US naval blockade. Following the cannon fire, marines from the 31st Expeditionary Unit boarded the vessel by helicopter from the USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship, and took control of the cargo ship.

US President Donald Trump announced the seizure on his Truth Social platform, stating that the crew "refused to obey" and that "our Navy ship stopped them cold by putting a hole in their engine room." Trump described the Touska as being "almost 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier," and said it "attempted to bypass our naval blockade, and it didn't go well for them."

The US military said the Touska was linked to a sanctioned company and remains under American custody pending cargo verification. The vessel had already been subject to sanctions imposed by the US Treasury Department.

Iran condemned the operation as a violation of the ceasefire and characterized it as "armed piracy." Iranian officials said the country would retaliate soon for what they described as an unlawful act.

CENTCOM released video footage showing the warning issued to the Iranian ship before shots were fired, as well as footage of marines departing their vessel and boarding the Touska during the nighttime operation.