MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US captures Iranian cargo ship that tried to evade Hormuz blockade as new round of talks is prepared

The US Navy fired on and boarded an Iranian-flagged cargo ship on Sunday in the Gulf of Oman, in the first naval seizure since Washington imposed a blockade on Iranian ports a week ago. Iran vowed retaliation, calling the operation an “act of piracy,” casting doubt on the second round of peace talks Trump announced for Monday in Islamabad.

“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He detailed that the destroyer USS Spruance warned the vessel for six hours, but the crew “refused to listen,” so the warship “blew a hole in the engine room.” Marines boarded and took custody of the ship, AP reported.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the Touska was heading to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas and that “American forces acted in a deliberate, professional, and proportional manner.” The vessel was already under Treasury Department sanctions for “prior history of illegal activity.” Since the blockade began, 25 commercial vessels have been directed to change course or return to Iranian ports, CENTCOM said.

Iran's joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya, responded that the US had violated the ceasefire by firing on “an Iranian commercial vessel” and warned that “the armed forces of the Islamic Republic will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy,” according to Iranian state television cited by CNN.

The seizure came hours after Trump announced a delegation led by Vice President J. D. Vance would travel to Islamabad on Monday for a second round of talks. However, Iran has not confirmed it will attend. Tehran considers the naval blockade a breach of the ceasefire and has conditioned any negotiations on its removal. “It is impossible for others to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while we cannot,” Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said, according to NPR.

No tankers crossed the strait on Sunday, according to maritime tracking data. Trump also accused Iran of firing on French and British vessels in the area. “Iran fired bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — a total violation of our ceasefire agreement!” he wrote. He claimed the blockade costs Iran “$500 million a day” while the United States “loses nothing.”

The two-week truce between Washington and Tehran expires Wednesday. The conflict, launched on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes against Iran, is now 50 days old. Brent crude rose 7% on Sunday to $96.88 per barrel, reversing Friday's decline. The average US gasoline price reached $4.05 per gallon, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNN prices may not fall below $3 “until next year.”