US military forces have intercepted an Iranian-flagged freighter off the Strait of Hormuz. The ship had been trying to get past the American blockade.
The USA has intercepted an Iranian cargo ship. According to reports, it is the “Touska” (54,851 GT, 4,800 TEU), which was built in 2008. The 294 m long and 32 m wide ship flies the flag of Iran and, according to AIS data, had left the port of Bandar Abbas for Zhuhai in China. The latest transmissions locate the ship off the Gulf of Oman.
As US President Donald Trump announced on his social media platform Truth Social, the crew of the “Touska” had ignored a request to stop and attempted to overcome the blockade by the US military. “That’s why our Navy ship stopped it immediately by blowing a hole in the engine room,” Trump wrote. The “Touska” was under sanctions by the US Treasury Department due to previous illegal activities. The military took control of the ship. A hole had been blown in the engine room. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) published a video on Platform X showing shots being fired from the “USS Spruance” at the freighter.
Iran then declared that this was a violation of the ceasefire. It would soon retaliate for this “act of armed piracy”. The agreed ceasefire between the USA and Iran is valid until Wednesday. So far, it has not been possible to reach a lasting agreement. Initial attempts at mediation in Islamabad (Pakistan), in which Vice President J. D. Vance represented the USA, failed after just one day.
Last Friday, Iran had initially declared its intention to temporarily open the Strait of Hormuz. Some ships, including cruise ships, were able to pass through the strait during this time. However, when Trump declared that the USA would not suspend its own blockade – which applies to ships from or with a port of destination in Iran – Iran withdrew this intention. The Strait of Hormuz is therefore still closed.
According to an announcement by the White House, Vice President Vance is to lead another delegation to Pakistan for a second round of talks. There has been no confirmation from Tehran so far. According to the Iranian government, no talks will take place as long as the US blockade remains in place. Trump imposed the blockade after the first negotiations failed. Important points of contention, above all the Iranian nuclear program and control of the Strait of Hormuz, remain unresolved for the time being.
