On Sunday, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social claiming US forces seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship called Touska.
He wrote, “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.”
Trump also wrote how the US forces gave TOUSKA a warning to stop, which the vessel did not heed, writing, “The U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer USS SPRUANCE intercepted the TOUSKA in the Gulf of Oman, and gave them fair warning to stop.”
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has released video of the interdiction of the motor vessel Touska in the Northern Arabian Sea by the U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG-111). The video contains audio of the USS Spruance giving warnings to the… pic.twitter.com/bAoxgUFpgB
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 19, 2026
Trump added, “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, U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel. The TOUSKA is under U.S. Treasury Sanctions because of their prior history of illegal activity.”
Confirming this news, the U.S. Central Command also posted on X about the whole operation in detail, as reported by The Washington Post.
The post revealed, “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.”
They also added video footage of the American crew warning the Iranians, and then firing.
This appears to be the first ship being boarded by the U.S. forces after the naval blockade took effect, following the collapse of the first round of peace talks.
According to the BBC, Trump said his representatives would travel to Pakistan for the second round of talks. They will arrive on Monday, and Trump’s ceasefire is supposed to end by Wednesday.
The envoy would include Vice President JD Vance, and Trump’s advisors, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. They were present for the first round as well.
However, The Guardian pointed out that Iran has refused to participate in the talks.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA said the reason behind the refusal is “Washington’s excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade, which it considers a breach of the ceasefire.”
Update: Vice President Vance will also join, leading the delegation from the US, a White House official tells me.
Things change very fast in diplomacy. https://t.co/lsW0lsYCje
— Caitlin Doornbos (@CaitlinDoornbos) April 19, 2026
Despite the uncertainties regarding Iran’s participation, Pakistan is gearing up for the talks. Two US C-17 cargo planes have landed there with security equipment to prepare for the arrival of the U.S. delegation.
Previously, Trump had threatened Iran with retaliation on Truth Social, as reported by The Washington Post.
He wrote, “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.”
