US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the US military seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that tried to pass through the Strait of Hormuz amid the standoff over control of the narrow waterway.
The announcement comes only a few hours after Mr Trump threatened to resume attacks and knock out Iranian bridges and power plants if an agreement is not reached at the talks in Pakistan.
The developments in the Strait of Hormuz are threatening the fragile ceasefire between the US/Israel and Iran.
In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump wrote on Sunday night, “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 US 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 engine room.”
“Right now, US Marines have custody of the vessel. The TOUSKA is under US Treasury Sanctions because of their prior history of illegal activity. We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board,” he added.
PREMIUM TIMES reports that the US Navy had blocked the Strait of Hormuz after talks at Islamabad failed to produce a peace deal.
Iran previously declared that it was opening the waterway to all commercial vessels after Lebanon and Israel agreed to a 10-day ceasefire. However, it retracted this less than 24 hours later, after the US refused to stop its naval blockade.
However, Mr Trump said a US delegation will be travelling to Pakistan on Monday for a second round of talks, adding that a deal will be reached despite the closure of the strait.
The operation represents the first time US forces have boarded a vessel since the naval blockade came into force last Monday, part of Mr Trump’s strategy to pressure Tehran
US forces said they turned back at least 25 Iranian vessels as of Saturday.
Iran, however, has said it considers the seizure of its ship a violation of the ceasefire and has threatened retaliation.
ALSO READ: Iran recloses Strait of Hormuz over US naval blockade
Al Jazeera reports that Iran’s Hazrat Khatam al-Anbiya military headquarters said Iran will “soon respond to and retaliate” against the “armed piracy” carried out by the US military.
It also said, “The aggressive America, by violating the ceasefire and committing maritime piracy, attacked one of Iran’s commercial ships in the waters of the Sea of Oman by firing upon it and disabling its navigation system by deploying several of its terrorist marines on the deck of the mentioned vessel.”
Similarly, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Pakistani counterpart that US threats against Iranian ports and shipping, coupled with what he described as unreasonable demands, reflect a lack of seriousness, according to state media.
“Iran will use all of its capacities to protect the interests and national security of Iran,” he said.
