US seizes Iranian-flagged cargo ship – Trump

The US has seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman as it attempted to breach the American naval blockade around Iran, President Donald Trump has announced.

“The US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance intercepted the Touska in the Gulf of Oman and issued a warning to stop,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday.

“The Iranian crew refused to comply, so our Navy ship stopped them in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room,” the president added.

Trump said that the ship had been sanctioned by the US due to its “prior history of illegal activity.”

Trump announced the blockade of Iranian ports last week after Pakistani-mediated talks failed to achieve a breakthrough. Iran said it would close the Strait of Hormuz, which handles around 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade, to “enemy ships” until the blockade is lifted.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei denounced the blockade on Sunday as “unlawful and criminal.”