Kamal Ghorui
The United States on Saturday intercepted an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel after it tried to bypass the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.CENTCOM said the USS Spruance fired several rounds into the vessel’s engine room after repeated warnings were ignored, and later boarded it, placing it under US custody. President Donald Trump also claimed the vessel had been taken into “full custody”.In a video released by CENTCOM, the US destroyer was seen intercepting the cargo ship named TOUSKA after it gave two warnings. “Vacate your engine room. Vacate your engine room. We’re prepared to subject you to disabling,” the US destroyer crew was heard saying before firing at the Iranian ship.“After Touska’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period, Spruance directed the vessel to evacuate its engine room. 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 said in a statement.Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said the ship was warned by a US Navy guided missile destroyer in the Gulf of Oman to stop, but it did not comply.“Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA… tried to get past our naval blockade, and it did not go well for them,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.“The US Navy guided missile destroyer USS SPRUANCE intercepted the TOUSKA in the Gulf of Oman and gave them fair warning to stop. The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room. Right now, US Marines have custody of the vessel. The TOUSKA is under US Treasury sanctions because of its prior history of illegal activity. We have full custody of the ship and are seeing what’s on board!,” he further wrote.Also read: Iran rejects second round of talks with US in PakistanIran retaliatesMeanwhile, Iranian forces, in retaliation, launched drones towards US warships. According to Press TV, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that US forces stationed in the Sea of Oman were forced to retreat after firing at an Iranian merchant vessel.Citing Mehr News Agency, Press TV reported that US forces operating in the region targeted an Iranian merchant ship in an attempt to compel it to return to Iranian territorial waters.This comes as the United States announced a naval blockade on Iran after failing to achieve its military objectives in what it described as a joint military campaign with Israel that began in late February.Read more: Iran vows ‘retaliation soon’ — what we knowIran had briefly eased restrictions on non-hostile commercial shipping on Friday amid efforts to de-escalate tensions.However, the IRGC Navy said in a statement on Saturday that Iran had closed the Strait of Hormuz after the United States allegedly continued its blockade on Iranian ports in violation of a ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump on April 8.“However, due to the violation of the ceasefire conditions, and as the American adversary has not lifted the naval blockade on Iranian vessels and ports, the Strait of Hormuz has been closed as of this evening until this blockade is removed,” the IRGC said.
