Donald Trump has said that the US has seized an Iranian-flagged ship near the Strait of Hormuz. The president wrote on Truth Social on Sunday evening: “Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, approximately 900 feet long and weighing approximately the same as an aircraft carrier, tried to bypass our naval blockade, and it did not go well for them.”
Trump said US marines intercepted the cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman and took it into “full custody”, the first such interception since a US blockade of maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports began on Monday.
He added: “The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our navy ship stopped them in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room.” There was no immediate comment from Iran.
Iran considers the US naval blockade a violation of the two-week ceasefire. Earlier today, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that Tehran had rejected a second round of peace talks with the US.
Trump said talks would take place in Islamabad on Monday night and threatened to “destroy” every power plant and bridge in Iran if Tehran did not agree to a deal with the US.
Tehran’s absence is due to “Washington’s excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, frequent changes in stance, repeated contradictions and the ongoing naval blockade,” IRNA said.
The news raised questions over Trump’s announcement that US negotiators would travel to the Pakistani capital for talks, raising hopes of extending the fragile ceasefire that was set to expire on Wednesday.
