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US Captures Iranian Vessel “Touska” After Six-Hour Standoff in the Gulf
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US forces have fired upon and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship after the vessel attempted to break through a US naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman, CNN reported, citing an announcement from the US President Donald Trump.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump revealed that the massive vessel—which measures nearly 900 feet long and weighs “almost as much as an aircraft carrier"—tried to bypass the US blockade, adding that “it did not go well for them.”
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The US Central Command (CENTCOM) quickly corroborated the operation on X, detailing that a US destroyer fired “several rounds” toward the Iranian ship, identified as the “Touska.”
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 19, 2026
The escalation occurred only after the vessel “failed to comply with repeated warnings over a tense six-hour standoff.” CENTCOM subsequently released night-vision video footage showing US Marines approaching the cargo ship via helicopter, with personnel seen fast-roping down onto the metal shipping containers below to board the vessel, according to CNN.
Iran’s military immediately condemned the seizure, branding the US operation “maritime highway robbery” on the state broadcaster IRIB. Meanwhile, the state-affiliated Tasnim news agency warned that Tehran “will take the necessary action” in response to the capture, though it stressed that the immediate priority is ensuring the safety of the vessel’s crew and their families.
According to naval experts who spoke to CNN, the Touska will be escorted to a secure anchorage or port for a full inspection. Once its cargo is assessed, the massive ship could legally become the property of the US government as a seized “prize.”
The seizure of the Touska marks a severe military escalation in the ongoing standoff between Washington and Tehran over freedom of navigation in the Middle East. Over the past month, Iran has effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz—the world’s most critical oil chokepoint—disrupting nearly 20% of the globe’s energy trade and triggering severe price spikes.
For the third day in a row, the Strait of Hormuz sits virtually empty amid an ongoing standoff between the US and Iran over Gulf shipping.
As a coalition of over 40 countries discusses the reopening of the waterway, the US has intensified its naval operations in the Gulf of Oman. With Trump previously issuing strict ultimatums demanding the strait be unblocked, the decision to fire upon and board an Iranian cargo ship signals that the US Navy is now enforcing its own maritime blockades to dismantle Iran’s economic and military leverage in the region.
