US Seizes Iranian Cargo Vessel M/V Touska in Arabian Sea After Six-Hour Standoff

NEW YORK, April 20. /TASS/. An Iranian cargo vessel that was seized earlier by the US forces was traveling en route to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported. "Guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) intercepted M/V Touska as it transited the north Arabian Sea at 17 knots en route to Bandar Abbas, Iran," the command reported in a statement on X social network page. "American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the US blockade." "After Touska's crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period, Spruance directed the vessel to evacuate its engine room," according to the statement. "Spruance disabled Touska's propulsion by firing several rounds from the destroyer's 5-inch MK 45 Gun into Touska's engine room." "US Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit later boarded the non-compliant vessel, which remains in US custody," CENTCOM's statement added. US President Donald Trump stated earlier that the American military had seized an Iranian cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman for trying to breach the naval blockade. Following negotiations between the US and Iran on April 11, the US Central Command announced that on April 13, it would begin a naval blockade of Iran, preventing the movement of all ships heading to ports in the Islamic Republic, as well as attempting to sail from its shores. Iran-US standoff On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran. The Islamic Republic closed the Strait of Hormuz to the ships associated with the United States, Israel and the countries that supported aggression against Iran. On April 7, Washington announced a two-week mutual ceasefire with Tehran. Iran and the United States held several rounds of talks in Islamabad on April 11. The Iranian delegation was led by parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, while Vice President JD Vance headed the US delegation. Both Tehran and Washington said following the negotiations that no agreement on finding a long-term solution to the conflict had been reached due to a range of disagreements. Details regarding a potential new round of talks remain unavailable.