US President Donald Trump has said that United States forces have seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in pursuit of breaking the ongoing naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the ship named Touska was warned by a US Navy guided missile destroyer in the Gulf of Oman to stop, but its “crew refused to listen”.
He then added that the US Navy “stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room” and that US forces are now in custody of the vessel and were “seeing what’s on board”.
Later, the US Navy’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said that Touska was headed to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas before it was stopped after it had ignored warnings over six hours to evacuate the engine room.
Iranian authorities, especially from the military command, responded to the attack and called it a clear violation of a ceasefire agreed by both sides earlier this month.
Firing at a commercial ship that was heading from China to Iran is a violation that Iran will take serious note of going into the next round of negotiations in Islamabad, they said.
“We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy by the US military,” a spokesperson of Khatam al-Anbiya said.
Iran condemns the US seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz as an act of “armed piracy” and vows to retaliate.
The seizure of the ship came hours after US President Donald Trump announced that he is sending his team to Islamabad for possible talks with Iran.
However, Iranian sources have said that they will not show up for negotiations unless the US lifts its blockade.
Also read: Fresh US-Iran talks likely in Pakistan on Tuesday
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