US Navy intercepts, fires on vessel accused of breaching Iran blockade

• US Navy intercepts, fires on vessel accused of breaching Iran blockade

US forces operating in the Arabian Sea intercepted an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel on April 19 after it allegedly attempted to breach a US-enforced naval blockade, according to the US Central Command.

In a statement, CENTCOM said the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG-111) intercepted the vessel, identified as the M/V Touska, as it transited the northern Arabian Sea en route to Bandar Abbas, Iran.

US forces issued multiple warnings over a six-hour period, informing the crew the vessel was in violation of the blockade, CENTCOM said. After the crew failed to comply, the Spruance directed personnel aboard the ship to evacuate the engine room before firing several rounds from its MK 45 5-inch gun, disabling the vessel’s propulsion.

Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit subsequently boarded the vessel, which remains in US custody, the statement added.

CENTCOM described the operation as “deliberate, professional, and proportional,” noting that since the blockade began, US forces have directed 25 commercial vessels to turn around or return to Iranian ports.

Earlier today, 'US President Donald Trump said that US forces intercepted the Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman. He identified the vessel as the TOUSKA, describing it as a nearly 900-foot-long cargo ship under US Treasury sanctions for alleged prior illegal activity.

Read more: Trump says US Navy intercepted Iranian-flagged cargo ship in Gulf of Oman

Trump said the vessel sustained damage to its engine room during the interception and confirmed that US Marines later took custody of the ship.