Tensions in the Gulf surged sharply on Monday after the USS Spruance intercepted and disabled an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel in the first major confrontation since Washington imposed its naval blockade on 13 April. The destroyer moved against the M/V Touska as it steamed through the northern Arabian Sea towards Bandar Abbas at 17 knots.
According to U.S. Central Command, American forces issued repeated warnings over six hours, telling the crew the vessel was breaching the blockade. When the ship failed to alter course, the Spruance ordered the engine room to be evacuated before firing several rounds from its 5-inch MK 45 gun, knocking out the vessel’s propulsion and leaving it dead in the water.
In a swift follow-up operation, US Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit boarded the vessel and took control without reported resistance. The Touska is now in US custody, marking the first direct seizure since the blockade came into force. US President Donald Trump said the vessel was already under Treasury sanctions over previous illegal activity, while CENTCOM described the operation as “deliberate, professional and proportional”.
The incident marks a major escalation in efforts to enforce the blockade following the collapse of peace talks in Islamabad. Since the operation began, US forces — backed by more than 10,000 personnel and over a dozen warships — have reportedly turned back 25 commercial vessels bound for Iranian coastal ports, while allowing traffic to and from non-Iranian destinations through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state media has condemned the seizure as “armed piracy” and warned of retaliation, threatening to further destabilise an already fragile regional ceasefire and deepen fears of a wider confrontation in one of the world’s most critical shipping corridors.