The high stakes confrontation over control of the Strait of Hormuz between the United States and the Islamist Iranian regime took another step up the escalation ladder Sunday with the U.S. seizing an in-bound Iranian flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman that tried to run the blockade established last week by President Donald Trump following a short term ceasefire agreement in order to pressure the regime into agreeing to Trump’s terms for peace.
Trump said in a Truth Social post Sunday that the Navy stopped the ship by “blowing a hole in the engine room” and that Marines were in control of the ship.
Map of Straight of Hormuz via Wikimedia Commons
The seizure comes a day after Iran fired on ships trying to exit through the Strait of Hormuz.
In recent days, the Iranian regime has sent conflicting signals on whether the Strait is open. The Iranian foreign minister declared the strait open on Friday, but the IRGC declared the strait closed on Saturday. The U.S. blockade applies only to ships entering and leaving Iranian ports.
Negotiations between the U.S. and Iran were scheduled to resume in Pakistan this week. Iran said on Sunday that it would not send a delegation, while the U.S. went back and forth on whether Vice President JD Vance would once again head the U.S. delegation. The two-week ceasefire agreement expires Tuesday (or Wednesday). A report by a Saudi journalist says a delegation from Iran arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Sunday. Pakistan’s prime minister confirmed the delegation’s departure in a post on X.
Trump announced the seizure of the Iranian cargo ship in a post to Truth Social.”
“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”
Tanker Tracker reported the seized cargo ship was bound from Malaysia, noting an empty Iranian ship was allowed to pass through the blockade: “Iranian-flagged container ship TOUSKA (9328900) departed Port Klang, Malaysia, laden with cargo according to her AIS-reported draft depth. She passed the US Navy blockade line and was intercepted. Meanwhile, we spotted an empty Iranian-flagged VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) enter successfully.”
Iranian-flagged container ship TOUSKA (9328900) departed Port Klang, Malaysia laden with cargo according to her AIS-reported draft depth. She passed the US Navy blockade line and was intercepted. Meanwhile, we spotted an empty Iranian-flagged VLCC enter successfully. #OOTT https://t.co/iYZgXbZKlo pic.twitter.com/ScJU6KMYaU
— TankerTrackers.com, Inc. (@TankerTrackers) April 19, 2026
Earlier Sunday, Trump posted about the Iranian regime firing on ships in the strait:
Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement! Many of them were aimed at a French Ship and a Freighter from the United Kingdom. That wasn’t nice, was it? My Representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan — They will be there tomorrow evening, for Negotiations. Iran recently announced that they were closing the Strait, which is strange, because our BLOCKADE has already closed it. They’re helping us without knowing, and they are the ones that lose with the closed passage, $500 Million Dollars a day! The United States loses nothing. In fact, many Ships are headed, right now, to the U.S., Texas, Louisiana, and Alaska, to load up, compliments of the IRGC, always wanting to be “the tough guy!” We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY! They’ll come down fast, they’ll come down easy and, if they don’t take the DEAL, it will be my Honor to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran, by other Presidents, for the last 47 years. IT’S TIME FOR THE IRAN KILLING MACHINE TO END! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
Al Jazeera reported that an Iranian semi-official media outlet, Mehr, claimed the regime stopped the U.S. from seizing a ship, but did not give the ship’s name. The report seems to indicate a different ship that was attempting to leave Iran (excerpt):
“American terrorist forces deployed to the waters surrounding the Sea of Oman and opened fire on an Iranian merchant ship to force it to return to Iranian territorial waters”, the statement reads. However, with the timely presence and rapid response of the IRGC naval units in support of the Iranian ship, the Americans were forced to retreat and flee the area”, it continued.
UPDATE: The Department of War posted a statement and video:
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.
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… https://t.co/iyzOQd93C3 pic.twitter.com/HwU4XS48Oq
— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) April 19, 2026
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